One is Two
by Deana
Summary: MummyUC crossover. Ardeth Bay's death is foretold by an unexpected source. Can five strangers from the year 2002 save him in time? Written by Karri and me.
1. The Amulet

**One is Two**

A Mummy/UC:Undercover crossover. 

Ardeth Bay's death is foretold by an unexpected source. Can five strangers from the year 2002 save him in time?

Disclaimer: Karri and I do not own Ardeth Bay, (darn!) Frank Donovan, (darn!) or anyone else from The Mummy and UC: Undercover. I own Safti, Suhaylah, Na'im, Shamara, and any other original characters.

This story was written by both my friend Karri (the author of, "Where's Frank?" in the UC:Undercover section) and myself. Thanks to Rae and Dreamscape for helping me figure out a vague summary for this, LOL and to Dreamscape for getting me some info on something that I needed. ;)

Karri and I hope you love this story as much as we do! (Don't let the beginning of this chapter make you sad; things are not always as they seem, lol!) 

**Somewhere in the Egyptian desert, 1934**

Alex stoically watched as Ardeth Bay was gently placed into his grave. He knew he should cry or scream or something – that's what everyone else was doing, what everyone else expected him to do, but he couldn't. Ardeth Bay was dead. He knew it, but he couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible; it couldn't be real. Ardeth _could not be dead, so how could he cry?_

Alex felt a presence behind him, but he paid little attention, assuming it was his mum. She was worried about him, worried because he wouldn't cry. He didn't want her to worry, but he couldn't seem to make her understand that he didn't cry because Ardeth couldn't really be dead, and had given up trying. Feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder, he sighed and looked up, but the face he found hovering over him was not his mother's, and Alex flinched away.

"Do not fear, child, I mean you no harm." Alex heard, soft and low. "Take this." He found an amulet suddenly in his hand. "To save him, you must reunite it with his soul," the stranger said. "Only then, when the one is two, may Ardeth Bay live to fight another day." 

"What…"

"The amulet will guide you, simply listen as it speaks."

None of it made sense and Alex glanced up, hoping there was more—some sort of explanation—but the stranger was gone. Searching the mass of faces surrounding him, Alex sighed as he spotted his mother coming toward him, the same mixture of grief and worry on her face that had been there since…

Alex looked away. It didn't happen. Ardeth wasn't really dead. He _couldn't be._

********************

**Chicago, 2002**

For reasons he couldn't explain, Alex O'Connell found himself hovering near the entrance, watching each couple and group as they entered the exhibit. He had no idea who he was looking for, any more than he understood what had drawn him to this museum in the first place. It was true that the exhibit of Egyptian artifacts was breathtaking, but he'd already seen it enough many times while it had been in London not to feel the need to fly all the way to Chicago to see it again. Yet, he did feel the need, and irresistible pull, and so he was there, in the museum, standing by the front door, waiting for…

An exhilarating tickle fluttered through his old, weary body as a small group paused just inside the doorway. Alex couldn't believe it. After all these years, he'd given up hope of ever finding him—of ever finding the man that could save Ardeth Bay's life. He fought the urge to rush over, not wanting to frighten him away. After all, the man might not know about his destiny. Fortunately, the museum was packed, making it simple to nonchalantly follow the small group, waiting for the right time to approach. He had no clue when the right time would be, but the amulet would tell him, as it had told him to come to Chicago.

Noticing that the group was preparing to leave, Alex made a beeline for the door. Nothing was telling him yet to approach the man, but, surely, it would happen soon. The amulet couldn't have brought him all this way for nothing. Stepping out the door ahead of the group, Alex waited silently in the shadows. He watched them leave and move down the sidewalk, but still felt nothing. Then, suddenly, as the man was almost out of sight, Alex felt a sudden, irresistible urge to follow.  

"Excuse me," Alex gasped breathlessly, catching up to the man he'd sought for _so long.   _

"Yes? What can I do for you?" Frank Donovan replied to the elderly gentleman approaching him.

"You can take this," Alex informed him, extending his hand, the amulet dangling from his fingers.  "You must take it, _please!"_

"What is it?" Frank's brow wrinkled as he took what the elderly man offered.    

"It's your destiny," Alex informed him, before quickly turning away. Moving more nimbly than he had in years, he managed to disappear in the vast shadows of the dimly lit sidewalk as he made his way back to the museum. It was done! Finally, after so many years, he'd reunited the amulet with Ardeth's soul. The exhilaration made him want to skip, but Alex knew his seventy-seven year old joints wouldn't like it very much if he did, so he settled for walking more briskly.   

"What's that?" Cody asked, peeking over his boss' shoulder.  

Frank didn't answer; instead he continued to study the amulet. It made his fingers tingle, and the feeling seemed to be spreading, up his arm, down the other, into his chest…his heart began to beat faster. 

"Hey, check it out!" Cody exclaimed, as Frank turned the amulet over. "What is that?"

"Looks like some kind of writing…Arabic, maybe," Alex replied, moving closer to her boss to get a better look.

"Don't suppose anyone here reads Arabic," Jake quipped.  

"I can read a _little Arabic…unfortunately, not as well as I speak it," Frank announced, earning four incredulous stares. He was too enthralled by the amulet to notice. "It says…something about two men…born of the same soul…joining together in time and place to…something..."_

Frank turned abruptly and began to follow after the elderly man. After a quick exchange of glances and shrugs of their shoulders, the gang followed.  

"Hey, Boss, any chance you're gonna clue us in to where we're going?" Cody inquired, trailing in the rear. Still engrossed in the amulet, Frank didn't seem to hear him.

"Frank!"  Alex shouted, also failing to get his attention.

"DONOVAN!"  Jake bellowed, practically directly into his ear. 

Frank stopped, whipping around to face his subordinate. A flash of annoyance flickered across his usually stoic features, disconcerting all four of them, but especially Jake. Standing directly in front of Frank—within inches of his nose, in fact—with Alex only a foot or so to his rear, buildings on his left, and parked cars blocking his right, Jake had no escape route from beneath Frank's irritated glare.  

"Um…yeah, sorry about that, Frank, just trying to get your attention," Jake managed to stammer out.

Frank's glare softened a bit as his stoic mask returned. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and steady. "You've succeeded, Agent Shaw. Is there a problem?"

"We were just wondering where we're going," Cody chimed in, mercifully deflecting Frank's attention. 

Frank's brow wrinkled. "After the old man," he replied, sounding as though he believed they should have been able to figure it out on their own. With that, he spun back around and headed down the sidewalk.   

"Well, excuse us," Cody muttered under his breath, watching Frank go. "It's not like we _asked_ to be here."

"Actually, you did," Alex reminded him, with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"Remember, last month when the exhibit was announced in the paper, _you were griping because it was already sold out and quipped that Frank should set it up to get us in on official business."_

Cody stared at her blankly for several seconds, before realization dawned on his face. "Ah geez, you think he heard that?"

"He got us in, so I guess he must've," Alex stated. Cody sighed, realizing unhappily that he probably owed Donovan now.  

"Hey, we're losing him," Jake pointed out. His companions nodded and the four of them hustled to catch up. They did so just as Frank reached the old man.  

"Excuse me," Frank requested, scooting around to block his path.  "Cou…"

The sound of squealing tires and a revving engine cut Frank off mid-word. Whipping around toward the street, he just caught a glimpse of the semi-automatic peeking out the rear window before it fired.

"GET DOWN!" he shouted, an instant before the first bullet exploded into his shoulder. Crumpling to the sidewalk with the impact of the second and third, his eyes fell onto the amulet. He wondered hazily how he'd managed to hold onto it.  

"NOOOOOOO!" 

He heard and turned his head toward the old man's voice, but his fading eyesight couldn't find the source. Too tired to keep looking, his head lolled to the side. His eyes fell, again, on the amulet. Watching his blood ooze toward it, Frank wondered abstractly if it would get swallowed up before the encroaching blackness swallowed him.   

"NOT AGAIN!  IT CAN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

Frank heard the voice again, but didn't pay much attention. The race was coming down to the wire.  The blackness had narrowed his vision to hardly more than a pinpoint, but it was just enough to see the pool of red ooze engulf the nearest edge of the amulet. He felt an odd measure of satisfaction as the pinpoint closed and he slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Jake suddenly heard Alex gasp, sounding awe-stricken. Firing once more at the fleeing vehicle, he turned to see why.

"What the…" he exclaimed, watching Frank's blood shoot up from the amulet in a swirling spiral. It continued to climb until it was taller then Jake, then abruptly collapsed, sucked into the center of the amulet. As the last drop vanished beneath the surface, a blinding red light exploded from the amulet, engulfing the small group as it knocked them all senseless.


	2. I Don't Think we're in Chicago Anymore, ...

Thanks to Xanthia Morgan for the title of this chapter, lol ;)

The 5 black-robed men rode their horses quietly, through the hot desert sands.  

Safti looked behind himself when he heard the three warriors behind him laugh softly, whispering amongst themselves. He faced forward again, and looked to his friend beside him. What he saw made him frown.

Ardeth Bay's eyebrows had suddenly furrowed, and he wavered on his horse, closing his eyes and lifting a hand to his forehead. 

Safti stopped his horse and grabbed the reins of Ardeth's, stopping his as well. "Ardeth? Are you all right?" he asked, alarmed.

Ardeth opened his eyes, and started to speak, but hesitated. 

That was all the answer Safti needed. He grabbed his friend's canteen and handed it to him. "The heat?" he asked.

Ardeth took the canteen and took a long drink. "Perhaps," he said, still blinking as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

Safti dismounted from his horse. "We are stopping here for a time," he told the other Med-jai, who'd watched their leader with concern. 

They jumped down from their horses, and quickly started putting up a large lean to.

Safti stood next to Ardeth's horse, ready to help his friend if he needed it, but Ardeth climbed down without incident. 

"I am all right," he said, to his worried friend.

"Are you sure?" Safti asked, not quite believing him.

Ardeth nodded, walking to the tent. "Yes, whatever it was, it has passed."

Safti nodded back, but kept an eye on his friend anyway, as they walked under it. 

Suddenly one of the Med-jai yelled, "Chief!" 

Ardeth and Safti turned around, and followed the man's gaze.

Lying in the sand about 100 feet away, were six people. 

Ardeth and Safti both ran over to them, the other three warriors following. 

Ardeth knelt beside an old man, checking for a pulse, and finding one. He looked at the man's face, and felt as if he knew him. He knew it to be impossible though, and moved on to a tall, thin woman.

"Ardeth!"

Ardeth turned to see Safti bending over one of the men, and he hurried over to see what was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, and then stopped dead at what he saw.

The unconscious man looked just like him. 

Ardeth's eyebrows flew up, and he knelt on the other side of him. The man's hair was shorter, and he had a goatee thinner then Ardeth's beard. Naturally the man had no tattoos, and it was amazing to Ardeth to see 'himself' without them.

He suddenly noticed the blood all over the man's black clothes, and Safti trying to find the source of it all.

"He has been shot," Safti said. 

Ardeth stood. "Bring them into the tent." 

The three warriors brought the Ardeth look-alike and the old man in first, and Safti picked up the dark-skinned woman, frowning when he saw Ardeth pick up the white woman, remembering his friend's strange attack of earlier. 

They brought all of the strangers under the tent, and Ardeth and Safti tried to help the injured man while the other three Med-jai attempted to revive the others.

"He has been shot three times," Safti said, in surprise.

"Yes," Ardeth said. "But by whom? And how did they all simply appear there?"

Safti shook his head at Ardeth, neither of them understanding it.

********************

"I don't wanna go to school, Mommy."

Jake opened his eyes at Cody's voice. He frowned, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. Not only was he in a huge tent, but it was hot, when earlier it had been quite chilly, and he was lying on sand, dressed in black robes.

He sat up, with a start, and looked around for Frank, remembering that he'd been shot. 

"Guys!" he said, seeing everyone but his boss. He saw the old man too, and wondered what part he played in this.

The others woke up, and looked around in utter confusion. 

"Where are we?!" Monica said, crawling to her knees.

Jake shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Where's Frank?!" Alex said, sounding panicked.

They all stood, intending to leave the tent and find some answers.

"Jake!" Cody practically yelled.

"What?"

"We're wearing dresses!"

"They are robes," they heard. 

Looking towards the tent opening, they stared at a tall man who looked at them through chocolate-brown eyes; the lower half of his face hidden by a cloth that was attached to a turban on his head. He was very impressive looking.

"Who are you?" Jake demanded. "What are we doing here? Where's the other man who was with us?"

"Your questions will be answered," the man said. 

Everyone looked at each other, nervously, all of them thinking the man's voice sounded like someone they knew. 

"But first you will answer _mine_," the man continued, and pulled the cloth from his face.

Everyone gasped. The man standing before them was Frank Donovan with tattooed cheeks, longer hair, a stronger build, and a thicker accent. 

They all just stared, in shock.

"What are you doing here?" the tattooed man asked.

They all exchanged glances. "We don't know; we were standing on a sidewalk and suddenly someone drove by and shot at us. Then we were here." Jake shook his head, wondering if he was dreaming. "You haven't answered _our_ question. Where's our other friend?"

"Our healers are tending him," Ardeth told them. "They have not yet finished."

"He's alive?" Alex asked.

Ardeth nodded.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief.

"How did we get here?" Cody asked.

Ardeth shook his head, surprised to feel that there was no need to fear or be suspicious of these people. "We do not know. One moment you were not there, and the next you were." 

"Wait a minute," said Monica. "We were in Chicago. This is the desert! Where exactly _are_ we?"

Ardeth blinked. He had heard Rick O'Connell talk of living in Chicago. He knew it to be very far, part of America. "You are in Egypt."

Everyone's jaws dropped. Everyone, that is, except the old man, who stood staring at Ardeth, saying nothing. 

"Where have you taken Frank?" Alex asked.

Ardeth looked at her. "Ah, that is his name," he said, curious about the man who looked so much like him. "He is in another tent, being tended. I am Ardeth Bay, Leader of my people," he said, leaving mention of the Med-jai out, in case they proved to be enemies after all.

Jake shrugged, seeing no sense in hiding his name. "Jake Shaw." He looked at each of the team, letting them decide on whether or not to give their names.

"Alex Cross."

"Monica Davis."

"Cody Forrester."

They all looked at the old man, wondering who he was. "Uh," he said, realizing he was being stared at, and couldn't give his real name. "Jon Richards," he said, using the names of his father and uncle.

Ardeth nodded. "I will check the healers' progress on your friend." He turned and opened the tent flap, where the team saw another man standing. Ardeth said something to the man that they couldn't understand, and then kept walking, as the other man came inside the tent.

They stared at the man, shocked at his size. They had thought Ardeth Bay to be imposing; this man was taller—if possible—and broader. 

"What are you, his second in command?" Cody asked.

The man nodded. 

Cody's eyebrows went up. _Good guess! _"Um, I don't suppose you could tell us why we're wearing these things?"

Safti smiled. The man asking the question _did_ look ridiculous in them. "You were all unconscious when you...appeared. We did not know if the heat had affected you, and so you were dressed in clothes that were cooling on the body."

Everyone looked at each other. Jake had to resist laughing at Cody, while Monica almost looked like an African princess in hers, and Alex looked as strange as Cody did, with her light hair and ice blue eyes.

"Do you know how we got here?" Monica asked Safti. While the warrior looked the part of someone to fear, she could see in his eyes that he seemed to be a nice guy.

He shook his head. "I can not say _how_ it came to be. What Ardeth said was exact; one moment you were not there, and the next you were." He shook his head. "You must be here for a reason. We can only wait to see what that is."

The team all looked at each other, and shrugged. Sighing, they all sat down, knowing that there was nothing they could do for the time being.


	3. 'Everyone has a car!' Not in 1934, Cody....

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews! :)

Ardeth walked into the tent next to the one that housed the strangers, and headed to the crowd of healers that were kneeling on the floor. 

"Does he live?" he asked.

"Aywa," one of the women replied.

Ardeth stood over them, and watched as one of them stitched a bullet wound on Frank's left shoulder, and another stitched a wound on his left side. The rest of his body was covered by a thin blanket, and Ardeth saw the three bullets lying on the sand beside him.

"Was there not also a leg wound?" he asked.

"Aywa," a third healer replied, who was wiping Frank's face with cool water. "It was the least serious of the three, and easily mended."

"Does the man have a name?" the one stitching Frank's shoulder asked.

Ardeth nodded. "Frank Donovan." He watched Frank's face for any reaction to the healer's ministrations, to see that there was none whatsoever; he was very deeply unconscious, his skin very pale. "Will he live?" 

None of the healers replied for a minute, until one of them said, "We can not be sure, he has lost very much blood."

Ardeth nodded, expecting as much. "If there is any change, or if he regains consciousness, have someone inform me."

"Aywa, my Chief." 

Ardeth left the tent and went back into the other. 

Jake, Cody, Alex, and Monica all stood when he walked in. 

"The healers have removed the bullets," he said. "He is still unconscious." 

Alex's jaw dropped. "People _here_ took out the bullets? Why didn't you take him to a hospital! He needs doctors to operate on him!"

Ardeth frowned. "My healers are as good as the physicians in Cairo. He most likely would not have survived the trip had we not done it here."

"Trip?" Jake asked. "How far from there are we?"

"At present, nearly half a day by horse."

Cody frowned. "Horse?! Why don't you take a car?"

Ardeth frowned. "We do not have cars."

"Why?" Cody asked. "_Everyone_ has a car! Heh, some people have two!"

Ardeth shook his head, thinking this man to be mad. "No, everyone does not."

"Man, you'd think it was 1902, not 2002," Cody muttered.

Ardeth blinked, and looked at Safti, who likewise gave him a shocked look.

"Repeat what you just said," Ardeth told Cody, taking a step forward.

"Uh," Cody said, looking at his teammates. "You'd think it was 1902, not 2002."

Ardeth took another step forward. "Are you telling us that you are from the future?"

Cody took a step back, nervously. "The future?" 

Safti shook his head. "The year is 1934."

Cody's jaw dropped, as did Jake, Alex, and Monica's. "What?!" 

"This explains their sudden appearance," Safti said to Ardeth.

Ardeth nodded. "Yes. But we do not know the reason for it, and obviously they do not either."

"Wait a minute!"

They both looked at Jake. 

"Are you trying to tell us that we're in the year 1934?"

"I believe that is what we just said," Ardeth replied.  

Jake blinked. "Uh, and just like that, you're gonna accept that? Believe us?"

Ardeth smiled slightly. "We have seen stranger things."

Jake shook his head. "Come on, this is impossible! What makes you think _we_ believe _you_?"

Safti snorted. 

"You must," said Ardeth. "You can not deny that you are here."

"He has a point," Cody whispered to Jake. 

"So what do we do now?" Alex asked. 

"Be careful," Ardeth said. "Anything that is done can change history. By simply being here, you may already have done that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Cody. "I saw 'Back to the Future' fifteen times."

They suddenly heard a gasp, and looked to see that the old man they'd forgotten about was staring at Ardeth in shock. 

Assuming he was reacting to his statement, Ardeth nodded. "You must not do anything while you are here. Watch what you say to whom. If you find something amiss or if anyone says anything strange to you, whether you understand it or not, tell me immediately. And do _not_ tell _anyone_ else that you are from the future. Only Safti and myself will know this."

Everyone nodded, more than slightly intimidated.

"All right," Ardeth said. "Who is the leader when Mr. Donovan is not able?"

They all frowned. "How did you know he was our leader?" Jake asked.

Ardeth hesitated. _Because he resembles me so much, I assumed he was in the leader position as am I?_

Seeing that Ardeth had no answer for him, Jake said, "I am."

"Come with me." 

The team shot apprehensive looks at Jake, as he followed Ardeth out. He had to shade his eyes against the shockingly bright desert sun.

"I am assuming that you and your friends can, in fact, be trusted," Ardeth said. "I do not give my trust lightly, or easily."

Jake nodded, as he followed Ardeth. 

Ardeth stopped at the entrance to another tent. "I need to know exactly what occurred before you appeared here."

Jake sighed. "Well…we were standing on a sidewalk, and a car drove by and shot at us. Frank was hit, and then…"

Suddenly the tent flap opened, and one of the healers walked out with a bowl of water. She stopped when she saw Ardeth.

"You dropped this, my Chief," she said, handing him the amulet. She then bent down and poured the water out of the bowl.

Jake didn't notice the amulet, instead gasping when he saw the red water. "Frank is in here?!" Without waiting for an answer, he went into the tent.

Ardeth was shocked he'd dropped his amulet; a stab of fear hit his stomach when he realized he could've lost it. He draped it over his head, and pulled his hair out from under it. Positioning it in the center of his chest, he froze at what he felt. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing two of them!

He took them both off and stared, in utter shock. They were identical in every way; even down to the little nicks it had obtained through the centuries, as it was passed down the Bay family line, from Leader to Leader. Ardeth shook his head, astonished, for none other existed! How did this come to be in the healer's tent?

_Donovan,_ he thought. _He brought it with him! _Any slight doubts he had that the people were indeed from the future evaporated, and he put his amulet back around his neck, and the other into a pocket, and walked into the tent.

Jake was kneeling beside Frank, studying him intently. Ardeth could see that he looked paler, and was still completely motionless. His concern grew: he didn't want the man to die, especially not before he could talk to him, and find out where this mystery lies. 

He went closer and knelt on the other side of him, watching as Jake checked Frank's pulse and took a look at the wounds, while one of the healers still wiped Frank's face and forehead with cool water, hoping to prevent fever. 

Jake sighed. "He belongs in a hospital." He shook his head. "1934? Geez, in this year the doctors are probably as likely to kill him then help him."

Ardeth's head snapped up to look at him, and then at the healer. She apparently hadn't noticed Jake's strange words, as she continued her task, softly humming, as if Frank could hear her calming voice.

Jake looked at Ardeth, realizing what he'd said. He looked back down at Frank with a sigh. "Can the others come in to see him?"

Ardeth nodded, and they stood.

As they walked out of the tent, Ardeth remembered that he hadn't gotten Jake's full explanation. "You were saying, earlier…"

Jake looked at him with a frown. "Oh yeah. Frank was shot, and the car kept going. Then…" he shook his head. "Something really weird happened."

"What?"

"Well…Frank's blood…it touched the amulet, and then kinda stood up in a spiral and then came back down, into the center of the thing, and then *wham*, suddenly we were here." He shook his head. "It was the weirdest thing I ever saw. Like something out of a Sci-Fi movie."

Ardeth didn't even bother to ask what 'Sci-Fi' meant, as they stopped at the entrance to the tent housing the other agents. "How did he come by the amulet?" Ardeth asked. 

"That old man with us, he gave it to him."

Ardeth's eyebrows flew up. "When?"

"Not even fifteen minutes before we got here."

Ardeth stroked his beard, as he thought. "That is significant. Donovan is given the amulet, and then shot." He took the amulet out of his pocket, and looked at it in surprise. "Then, through the amulet, you all are brought here."

Jake shook his head again. "This is the weirdest thing that ever happened to me, and I've been in some pretty weird situations…" He went back into the tent, and his teammates immediately started questioning him.

"What happened?"

"Where's Frank?"

"Yeah, is he okay?"

"Frank is alive, guys," he said. "You can all come see him." 

Everyone ran for the tent opening, as Ardeth opened it and walked in. Safti was still there, and Ardeth held out his hand to the old man to stop him from leaving. He knew now that the man had something important to do with the situation, and he wanted to know just _what_ that was.

'Aywa': Egyptian Arabic for 'yes' 


	4. Some Answers

Ardeth took the amulet out of his pocket, and handed it to Safti.

Safti looked at it, and then at Ardeth. "Your amulet," he said, puzzled.

Ardeth shook his head, and drew his 'real one' out of the neck of his robes.

Safti's eyebrows raised, and he took it in his hand. He held the other up to it, comparing them. "They are the same!"

Ardeth nodded. "Yes, in every way." He looked at the old man, waiting for him to speak. 

Safti, still staring at the two amulets, said, "I do not understand, only _one_ of these exists…"

Ardeth nodded. "Only one." 

Safti understood suddenly, and looked at the old man. "Who _are_ you?" he asked.

Instead of answering, the man looked at Ardeth. 

Like a ton of bricks, it hit him. The eyes…he could see it in his eyes. Despite himself, Ardeth's jaw nearly dropped. "Can it be?"

Alex nodded, his eyes suddenly misting. He vividly remembered the day of Ardeth's funeral, remembered his childish mind's denial. He remembered the anguish he felt when he had to finally believe that it was true; Ardeth was indeed dead. Missing him for all these years, and now standing in front of the man—as he remembered him, even—was too much, and the tears spilled over.

"Ardeth," he said, almost a whisper. "I'm Alex!" 

And with that, Alex threw his arms around Ardeth, in a fierce hug. 

Safti stared, mouth agape.

Ardeth was in shock. The old man—_Alex O'Connell,_ he reminded himself—sobbed openly, and Ardeth wrapped his arms around him, wondering at the intensity of Alex's reaction. He suddenly realized what Alex was repeating over and over. 

"You can't die…"

"Die?" he asked.

Finally Alex drew back, wiping his eyes. "Ardeth…in 1934, you died…"

Ardeth felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. 

"WHAT?!" Safti roared.

"A-at your funeral, someone gave me your amulet…and told me that when I reunite it with your soul, you would live to fight another day…"

The pieces suddenly fit together. "Donovan has my soul?"

Alex nodded, sniffling. "I gave your amulet to him right before we ended up here."

"Ah," said Safti. "Perhaps that is the reason for your strange attack! When the amulet was placed in Donovan's hand, you felt it." He looked at Alex. "Who gave you his amulet?"

Alex shook his head. "I don't know who it was…I only remember thinking that it was someone I'd never seen before…" He looked at the Med-jai with concern. "Ardeth," he said. "I think we're here to prevent you from dying."

Safti grabbed Ardeth by the arm, hard enough to make his friend wince. 

"How? When?"

Alex shook his head, his eyes tearing up again. "I don't know...I was so young, my parents and I were in Cairo when it happened…we came for the funeral. I had a hard time accepting it, I _wouldn't_ accept it…"

Ardeth tried to pull his arm from Safti's grasp—succeeding on the third try—and put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "It is all right," he said, feeling like he was talking to the 9-year-old Alex, of the present. He shook his head. _How strange;_ _I died when he was still a child, and yet here I am, alive to see him old._

"No, it is _not_ all right!" said Safti. "How can we prevent it if we do not know how it happens?!"

Ardeth frowned, at the almost hysterical sound to his friend's voice, something he hardly _ever_ heard. "We have faced threats on my life before, sadiqi."

"But you never _died_ before!" Safti blinked, realizing how silly that sounded. "I mean, _this_ time, they succeeded! And they _will_ succeed, unless we find a way to stop it!" 

The three men just stood there, not knowing what to say. Finally Ardeth sighed. "At the moment, we can do nothing. Perhaps they will make themselves known to us before…it…happens, and we can then take steps." He tried to give his friends a reassuring smile, even though he was just as afraid as they were. He didn't want to die! "Now that we know, we have an advantage," he said. "Our knowledge beforehand may be what saves my life, Alex," he said, squeezing the old man's shoulder.

********************

"Frank?"

The team surrounded their fallen comrade, studying him intently.

"How is he?" Monica asked the healer that'd remained. 

The healer sighed, as she continued to wipe Frank's forehead with cool water. "He is growing feverish." She had tried diligently to prevent fever, and now felt like she had failed. 

Alex Cross scooted over and felt Frank's forehead. She knew there were no thermometers in 1934, and she tried to gauge his temperature. 

Everyone watched, waiting.

Alex shook her head, with a shrug. "I don't think it's high."

Everyone sighed with relief. Their sighs turned to surprised expressions when Frank moved under her hand.

"He's waking up!" said Cody, unnecessarily. "That was way fast."

The healer nodded. "We gave him medicine to make him wake."

Jake frowned. "Why is that?"

Frank suddenly groaned, and Alex transferred her hand on his forehead to his uninjured arm. 

"If he remained unconscious, he would not get much water, and would dehydrate in this heat," the healer explained.

Alex frowned when Frank gasped, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. "Frank?" she said.

He didn't answer, and they grew alarmed to see his breathing rate increase.

"He is in pain," the healer stated, as if it wasn't obvious, while she poured a cup of water.

"If you have medicine that can wake people, don't you have painkillers?" Jake asked, moving next to Alex to help the healer lift Frank so he could drink the water.

"Yes, but we have not given him that, as of yet."

"What?!" said Cody. "You _operated_ on him! You mean to tell us that Frank is suffering this _raw_?" 

The healer blinked at him, not knowing what he meant by 'raw'. "The medicine to dull pain would have prolonged his unconsciousness. We had to wake him to make him drink." She gently held the cup to Frank's lips, whose eyes were still closed.

"There's no IV's here, Cody," said Jake, understanding, even while upset at Frank being in such pain. "No other way to get fluids into him."

Cody nodded, with a sigh.

"Frank," said Alex. "Drink this."

Frank opened his eyes halfway, blinking up at her. She could feel his body shaking; his usually stoic face had pain written all over it. He looked disoriented, not comprehending where he was. 

Alex took the cup from the healer's hand and tipped it so that the water touched his lips, hoping that he would automatically drink it when he felt it. It worked, until the groggy-with-pain Frank somehow choked.

Alex flung the cup to the side, and she and Jake frantically pulled Frank up into a sitting position, hoping it would clear his airway, not thinking of the wound in his side. 

Jake leaned him against Alex, and was about to pound Frank on the back when he remembered his injuries. 

Alex saw Jake's indecision, and shook her head at him, while she held Frank tightly. "I think he's all right. Frank?"

Frank's choking changed into gasps of pain. 

Alex and Jake were about to lie him down again, but the healer shook her head, handing Alex another cup. Frank drank it slowly, but without mishap; sitting up helping to prevent further choking. 

"Frank, you have to drink it all," Alex said, when Frank stopped.

"Here," said the healer. "Give him the medicine. After he takes it he will _want_ more water."

Cody almost laughed at that statement, until he decided that it wasn't appropriate. A scowl from Monica made him glad he made the right decision. 

When Alex tried to give it to him Frank refused it, thinking it was more water, but finally gave in when Alex told him it was medicine. He drank it all, surprising the team, and making them think the healer was wrong. But suddenly Frank made a face at the obviously nasty aftertaste, and gulped down the water the healer had at the ready.

The Med-jai woman smiled, satisfied at the amount Frank had drunk, and she now allowed them to lie him back down. 

His pain-filled expression melted away as the medicine knocked him out. 

The healer pulled open the robe they'd dressed Frank in just enough to take a look at the wound in his side, fearful that sitting Frank up had done damage. As she expected, it had bled, but to her relief none of the stitches had been torn. 

"Has he awoken?" they heard.

Turning, they saw that Ardeth had entered the tent. 

The healer looked up, as she wiped away the blood. "Yes, my Chief, but only long enough to drink water and receive medicine. I regret that I was unable to keep him awake." 

Ardeth nodded. "That is all right, Shamara," he said, coming closer to the group. "I need to speak to all of you," he said to the team.

They all stood, and followed him out of the tent, sparing glances at their boss as they left.


	5. Mummy Perp! LOL

"What's the healer's name again?" Alex asked Ardeth, as they walked outside.

"Shamara. It means, 'ready for battle'. It is fitting; Shamara battles greatly to save lives."

They walked back into the tent they had been in previously, to see Safti and the old man animatedly talking. 

"We have learned much," Ardeth said to Jake and the others. 

"You have?"

Ardeth nodded. "This," he said, gesturing to the old man. "Is Alex O'Connell. The son of a good friend."

The team looked at Alex in surprise.

Cody laughed. "Two Alex's! When we call one, the other will answer too!"

Monica elbowed him.

Ardeth took the amulet out of his pocket. "This amulet that he gave Donovan, is mine," he said, drawing the one he was wearing out of his robes. 

"How can you be sure of that?" Monica asked.

"It was passed down through my family," Ardeth told her. "There is no other."

"Oh," she said.

"When I was a child," Alex O'Connell said. "Ardeth…died. I obtained his amulet, and was told that when I reunite it with Ardeth's soul, he would live."

The team just stared, trying to comprehend what they were being told.

"But you gave it to Frank," said Cody.

"Frank has your soul?" Jake said, to Ardeth, in shock.

"That is how it appears," Ardeth said, with a nod.

"It looks like we are all here to prevent his death," Alex O'Connell told them. 

"We can't do anything without our weapons," said Jake, wondering if Ardeth would allow them to have them back.

Ardeth seemed to think for a minute, before realizing that he had no choice but to trust them. He nodded at Safti, who left the tent. 

"I have a question," said Cody.

Everyone looked at him.

"Why exactly are you like, so important that an impossible thing like time travel actually happened, to give you a longer life? Uh…no disrespect intended, of course," he said, remembering the long sword on Ardeth's sash.

Ardeth smiled, before he answered, obviously thinking him humorous. 

Alex and Monica were amazed to see Frank's smile on his face.

"If you are to help save my life," said Ardeth. "Then there is something you must know." 

They all watched him, wondering what bizarre thing they would be told now.

"We are members of an ancient society called the Med-jai. We guard various tombs and temples within Egypt, to prevent evil from being unleashed upon the world."

Everyone just stared, skeptical. 

"It has happened many times already, but each time we have somehow succeeded in defeating it."

Alex O'Connell nodded. "It's true, every word. My mother accidentally did it once; _I_ did it once…" he said, with a sheepish look.

"This I gotta hear," said Cody. 

O'Connell said something to Ardeth in Arabic, and he chuckled.

"Too bad Frank isn't here to translate," Alex said, to Monica.

Ardeth looked at her with surprise. "Donovan knows Arabic?"

"That's what he said," said Jake. "He was able to read some of what is written on the back of the amulet."

Ardeth frowned, and turned the amulets over. 

There was nothing there.

"What!" said Cody. "I saw it…we all saw it...Frank _read_ it, for cryin' out loud!"

"There was nothing on it all these years!" said O'Connell. He looked at Ardeth.

"When you gave it to Donovan, and it was reunited with my soul, the words appeared," Ardeth said. "And now that you are here—in the past, before the words emerged—they have gone."

Safti came in then, holding the team's guns.

"What did it say?" Ardeth asked.

"Oh shoot…" Cody replied.

"Something about two men, born of the same soul…" said Jake. "I can't remember the rest."

Ardeth sighed. "None of you can?"

Everyone thought for a minute, before shaking their heads.

"What?" Safti asked, not having heard the conversation.

"Those words were written on the amulet that Donovan brought back with him," said Ardeth. "And now they are not here."

Ardeth and Safti couldn't resist watching the time-travelers with interest as they checked their weapons.

"We have cool guns in the future," said Cody, with a grin, as he stuck his in the holster. 

Safti still had Frank's in his hand, and he handed it to Ardeth, so he could look at it.

"What is the caliber?" Ardeth asked, as he studied it.

".45," Jake told him. "They don't need to be cocked before firing, so be careful." He thought it sounded funny, telling the desert warrior to be careful with a weapon. 

Ardeth nodded, continuing to study it. He suddenly realized something. "If you people had been from our time, and we found you armed, we would think nothing of it; the desert can be quite dangerous. But you were in a non-violent part of America, and yet you are all armed?"

At the word, 'non-violent', they all made a face.

"You told us everything, so I guess we owe you the same," said Jake. 

"Cops?" Alex O'Connell said.

"Justice Department," Jake replied. 

O'Connell's eyebrows went up, impressed.

"What?" Ardeth asked, not knowing the meaning of 'cop' or 'justice dept'.

"We are like policemen, but much higher up," said Cody, with a smirk.

"We infiltrate criminal organizations, to bring them down and put the perps in jail," Jake explained.

"Perp?" said Safti.

"The criminal masterminds," said Alex.

"Ah. Then Imhotep was a 'perp'," said Safti.

Alex O'Connell busted out laughing so hard, they thought he would fall to the floor and break his old bones.

"Alex," Ardeth said to him, in concern.

"Who's Imhotep?" Monica asked.

O'Connell shook his head, still laughing. "I'll explain later."

Just then they heard someone shout something in Arabic. 

"It is time for the evening meal," Ardeth told them.

"Yay!" said Cody, realizing he was starved. "What's for dinner?"

"Snake and horsemeat," said Safti.

Cody stopped dead. "Eyahhhh!"

Safti smiled. "I am joking."

"Oh," Cody said, relieved. He noticed that Safti didn't tell them what they were really having, however, and he followed him, suspicious. 

The team was relieved to see that the meat was beef, and they were surprised at the wonderful taste. 

"Wow," said Cody, in between mouthfuls. "They can operate on people, they can prevent evil, _and_ they can cook!"

The rest of the team laughed at him.

"Speaking of operating…" said Jake, as he noticed Shamara quickly coming towards them. 

Ardeth saw her coming as well, and caught her eye. She nodded at him, and he stood, quickly following her.

"Frank must be awake," said Jake, about to stand.

"No," said Safti, motioning for him to remain seated. "Ardeth will speak to him alone."

"But—"

"Jake," said Safti. "Ardeth is not merely the head of an army. He is what our people consider their king. That is the way of the Med-jai. He expects to be obeyed, and always _is_ obeyed."

Jake said nothing, but sat again. 


	6. The Meeting

Ardeth walked into the tent behind Shamara, and slowly walked over to Frank, not wanting the injured man to think he was a threat. He saw that Frank's eyes were closed, but he opened them slightly when Ardeth knelt next to him.

Frank looked at him with glassy eyes. He made no indication that he saw how much they looked alike, and Ardeth attributed it to grogginess from Shamara's medicine. 

"My name is Ardeth Bay," he said. "You need not fear me, I am a friend."

Frank just blinked at him, saying nothing.

"You are at my campsite, in the middle of the Sahara desert. Do you remember what happened?"

Frank said nothing, and it took a few seconds for what Ardeth said to get through to him. He frowned. "My…team?" he asked.

Ardeth smiled inwardly. It seemed that he and Frank were very much alike. "They are safe, uninjured."

Frank was relieved. "Where…are we?"

"In the middle of the Sahara desert," Ardeth repeated, watching the puzzled look on Frank's face deepen.

Shamara continued to wet a cloth and place it on Frank's forehead. "His fever has risen," she said, softly.

Ardeth sighed. Between the pain, blood loss, medicine, and fever, Frank was quite incapable of comprehending the situation. He suddenly had a thought, and took the amulet out of his pocket, holding it in front of Frank's face. 

Frank looked like he was having a hard time focusing on it, but he stared at it nonetheless. 

"An old man gave this to you," Ardeth said, slowly. "Do you remember?" He expected Frank to not react, so he was surprised when Frank slowly shook his head.

_At least he understood my question_, Ardeth thought. _Or did he?_ "What is your name?" he asked, trying to gauge Frank's coherency.

It was a long moment before Frank answered. "Frank," he paused. "Donovan."

Ardeth nodded. Perhaps Donovan's mind was clearing. "Yes," he said. "An old man gave you this amulet; it made you travel back in time to 1934. There were words written on the back of it, and I need to know what they were."

That question proved to be too much for Frank, and he said nothing, shaking his head slowly, as if telling Ardeth he didn't know.

Ardeth sighed noiselessly. He watched as Frank's eyes slowly closed, as he either fell asleep or lost consciousness. 

"Shamara?" Ardeth said.

The healer knew what he was asking. "I fear that he will grow worse before better."

********************

Shamara was right. Frank's fever spiked, and he was delirious all night. 

The team was in a frenzy, as they sat by him, trying to calm him through nightmares and hallucinations. 

Shamara and her helpers tried everything they could to bring his temperature down, but nothing helped.

Safti was beside himself with worry, knowing that if Frank died, Ardeth probably would also, if Frank was no longer there to prevent his death, however he was supposed to do it. 

Ardeth also seemed nervous, pacing in the tent. 

Alex O'Connell was upset, hoping his quest had not been for nothing.

It was nearly dawn the next morning when Frank calmed, so suddenly, that both Alex and Monica gasped, thinking he'd died. "Frank?!"

Jake checked him for a pulse, and found it still there. "He's alive," he said, his voice sounding strangely shaky.

"Asleep," said Shamara. 

"Has his fever lowered, or has he succumbed to exhaustion?" Ardeth asked her.

Shamara felt Frank's forehead. "Exhaustion."

The tension in the air thickened as everyone exchanged fretful glances. 

Alex O'Connell began to mutter incoherently, starting to pace, while Ardeth finally _stopped_ pacing, and sighed. He looked at Safti, and could see the fear in his friend's eyes, for his safety. That scared him more than Alex's earlier words had. He'd rarely seen that kind of fear in his friend's eyes.

Shamara sighed, looking up at Ardeth. "There is little more than can be done for him. His body must rest, if it is to recover."

He nodded. 

Behind him, Safti sighed, exasperated. "We must solve this puzzle without him. I will not allow your death, my friend!"

Ardeth put a hand on Safti's arm, concerned for his state of anxiety. "Safti…" He sighed, not able to think of anything to say. He frowned when Safti abruptly rushed from the tent.

"Send someone to find me if he awakens again," Ardeth instructed Shamara, not even realizing he'd said 'if' instead of 'when'. 

Shamara nodded, and Ardeth left the tent, where he found Safti standing not far away, facing north, looking at the stars. 

"Safti?" 

Safti sighed, and turned to face him. "Ardeth, you are my dearest friend. We have been since before we were able to walk."

Ardeth nodded, thinking back to when they were children.

"To think that you are supposed to die…" he paused, as if unable to say it. "We think ourselves as immortal, in life. We are faced with death time and time again, yet we always survive. But this time, you didn't."

Ardeth sighed, saying nothing.

"I could not handle that, sadiqi," Safti whispered.

Ardeth said nothing for a minute, understanding his friend's torment. The two of them were closer then brothers; he could not live without Safti either. 

"You would be Leader," Ardeth said.

Safti's eyes grew, at his words. Ardeth as of yet had no heir, and Safti was his second in command. Due to the turmoil of the situation, he had forgotten. "Now we _must_ stop this event from occurring," Safti said. 

Ardeth caught the slight smile, and smiled back.

"I do not wish to lead," Safti told him. "I would rather be at your side."

Ardeth nodded. "Yes. When I can not make a decision, you make it for me."

 Safti smiled again. "What is a Second for?" His smile left, as he again grew serious. "I will not let you die, Ardeth. Even if I have to die in your place."

Now it was Ardeth's turn to get upset, at that thought. "Let us not talk of dying, my friend. I am still here, and I plan on remaining."

Safti nodded. "As do I."

'sadiqi' Arabic for 'my friend'


	7. An Inside Job?

Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! For everyone hoping for more Ardeth/Frank interaction, more's coming, don't worry! :)

Frank was out like a light for most of the day. His fever finally started to come down in the early afternoon, to everyone's relief. 

Ardeth convinced Frank's team to have some food and rest, knowing that they would be of no use to Frank—and himself—in such a state; as they had been awake all night.

They had _all_ been awake, including Ardeth and Safti. Alex O'Connell's age finally caught up with him, and around dawn he went to sleep at Ardeth's urging. 

Ardeth sighed, as he brushed his horse. He thought about what Safti had said to him, and he had to agree. He had escaped more horrors in his life then anyone he ever knew. Safti had had his fair share, and Ardeth had to remind himself that they were indeed mortal. He had never thought himself to be immortal; he had seen enough death to know that everyone's days were numbered. He had seen many of his warriors fall in battle, where an hour earlier they had been full of life. When Imhotep had been raised, the Med-jai had lost a lot of their people, especially the second time. He sighed, trying not to blame himself for all the deaths over the years.

Suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and despite himself he jumped and dropped the brush.

"Ardeth?" It was Safti. "Did you not hear me calling you?"

Ardeth tried to get his breath back, after the unexpected arrival of his friend. He now knew how Jonathan had felt when he had done the same thing to him after their escape from the temple following Inhotep's first defeat. 

He refused to accept that he was becoming jumpy, over the situation. 

Safti bent down and retrieved the brush, handing it back to him.

"I am needed?" Ardeth asked, remembering that Safti had said that he'd been calling him.

Safti shook his head. "I do not think that you should be alone," he said. "We do not know how you…met your end…so I shall stay with you at all times."

"You need not worry," Ardeth said, as he resumed combing his horse. "I can defend myself."

"Yes, but this time, it apparently wasn't enough," Safti reminded him.

Ardeth had nothing to say to that. He was spared the awkwardness of his silence when two of Frank's team came walking over. 

"Good morning," Ardeth said to them.

"Mornin'," said Jake. "Cody and I were wondering what we could do, if anything."

Ardeth frowned. "Such as?"

Jake sighed. "We have an investigation to conduct. We need to find out who is supposed to kill you and when."

"The problem is," said Cody. "We don't know which of your people knows English."

Ardeth sighed. He did not want the tribe to know that the strangers were from the future. Any questions they asked would alarm the people.

"Not only that," Jake said. "But how do we know it wasn't an inside job?"

Ardeth frowned. "Inside job?"

"Yeah, one of your tribe."

Safti looked at Ardeth, shocked.

"Is there anyone here who would like to see you dead?" Jake asked, bluntly.

Ardeth turned back to his horse, petting it. He shook his head. "I do not know; there have been conflicts in the past of course, with tribe members, but I can not think of anyone who would consider ending my life."

No one said anything for a minute, until Jake asked, "Is there anyone we can use for a translator?" 

Safti said to Ardeth, "Suhaylah would not mind."

Ardeth nodded. "I do not want anyone to suspect that you are not from our time."

Jake and Cody nodded. "We know. We'll just say we were in Cairo or something and we heard about a possible threat," Jake told him.

Ardeth nodded. "That will suffice."

"What do I tell Suhaylah, Ardeth?" Safti asked.

Ardeth thought for a minute. "You may tell her the truth, but her _only_," he told Safti, knowing he could trust her. Besides, if anything _did_ happen to Ardeth, it might be good for someone else to know the situation. "Tell her she can not tell _anyone_ else."

"Who is Suhaylah?" Cody asked Safti.

"My wife," he answered. "Come, I will bring you to her." As he started to walk he stopped and looked at Ardeth, remembering he'd planned to stay with him at all times.

Ardeth saw, and laughed. Putting the brush down on the sand, he followed.

********************

"I think he's waking up!"

Frank heard the voice, one that he recognized as being someone he knew. He waited for her name to pop into his head, but it didn't. 

"Frank?" 

A different voice, also female. 

"Give him time," said yet another voice of the feminine species. 

"He's had two days!" The first voice said again. "Frank, open your eyes!"

Frank opened them slowly, wishing he didn't have to. He was rewarded with smiles belonging to the three previously disembodied voices.

"Frank!" said Alex. "How do you feel?"

Frank sighed. "Like I was run over by a camel." _A camel?_ He frowned, wondering where in the world _that_ had come from.

Shamara was pleased to see that her patient was coherent. She reached for the pitcher beside her, and filled a cup. "Drink," she said.

Frank tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but abandoned that idea when his left shoulder and side both protested vehemently. He bit back a groan at the pain and weakness engulfing his body. 

Alex and Monica helped him drink the water, and lie him back down. It took a minute for Frank to realize he wasn't in the hospital.

He looked around, in shock. "Where are we?"  
  


Monica glanced at Alex, as if not sure what to say. She remembered Ardeth telling them not to tell anyone they were from the future, and that included Shamara. 

Alex and Monica were relieved when Shamara suddenly stood. "I shall tell Ardeth he is awake," she said, and left the tent.

Frank looked at his two agents questioningly.

"Save your strength, Frank," Alex said. "Just listen, before she comes back. Do you remember an old man giving you an amulet?"

Frank frowned, but then nodded a minute later.

"Somehow, it caused us to come back in time, to 1934." She paused, wondering if he would believe her. "We're in Egypt, among a desert tribe whose leader looks just like you." 

Frank was looking at her as if she were insane.

Alex sighed. "They're trying to say that you have his soul; he was killed in 1934, possibly days or even hours from now. We are apparently here to prevent his death…"

Before she could finish, the tent suddenly opened, and Ardeth walked in, followed by Safti. 

When Frank saw Ardeth, his eyes opened wide, in utter shock.


	8. 'Safti', 'Softy', What's the Difference?...

Ardeth was relieved to see Frank's reaction to their resemblance; it was a good sign. "Ahlan," he greeted Frank, inclining his head towards him. 

Frank was shocked at the sight of Ardeth. "Ahlan wa sahlan," he replied.

Ardeth came further into the tent, impressed that he knew the correct response. "Ezai salama?" he asked, inquiring about Frank's health.

Frank smiled slightly. "Bi kheyr?" _Like he'll believe that I feel 'fine'._

Ardeth chuckled. 

Frank's team looked at them and each other, baffled. 

"English?" Cody requested.

Ardeth hid a smile as he sat on the sand near Frank. "I am Ardeth Bay. This is my second-in-command, Safti."

Frank's mind was still fuzzy, and he didn't quite catch the second man's name. "Softy?" he said.

Safti's eyebrows flew up, and he started to laugh. Ardeth shook his head, smiling, while Frank's team tried to hide their laughter in, to no avail.

Poor Frank just lay there, blinking, trying to force away the disorientation still lingering in his brain.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" Ardeth asked him.

Frank frowned, and shook his head.  

"We told him some of it," Alex said.

Ardeth nodded, and proceeded to repeat the entire story. By the time he was done, Frank was speechless; a reaction his team hardly ever saw in him. 

They were silent as they all watched him, waiting to see what he had to say. 

A jolt of pain suddenly shot through Frank before he had a chance to speak, and he tried to not let it show as he closed his eyes. He failed, for they all noticed the sharp intake of breath, and the fact that he held it instead of letting it out.

"Frank?" Alex said, touching his arm.

He couldn't speak at first, and didn't hear them all scoot closer. He opened his eyes though, when he noticed the voices calling him starting to sound panicky. Finally he let the breath out, in a gasp he couldn't stifle. 

"Frank?"

"I'm all right," he said, his voice sounding weaker.

Safti looked at Ardeth. _How alike the two are_, he thought. 

"This…amulet," Frank said, blinking away lightheadedness. "You said it belongs to you?" 

Ardeth nodded. He pulled his out of his robes, and handed the other to Frank. 

The minute Frank's hand touched it, the tingling sensation he'd felt when he'd been given it by the old man started again. Running up his arm, into his chest…making him feel dizzy…

His team saw the strange look come over his face, but before they got to say anything, they heard Safti say, "Ardeth?" 

Turning to see, they saw the same look on the Med-jai's face. He blinked his eyes repeatedly, and frowned.

Safti put a hand on his arm, to steady him, and looked to Frank, who was holding the amulet to his chest, eyes closed, breathing heavily. 

Acting on impulse, Safti reached over and took the amulet from around Ardeth's neck, pulling it off him. A second later, Ardeth exhaled loudly, and looked at him, puzzled. 

"Same thing as that day?" Safti asked.

Ardeth nodded. "When we both hold the amulets at the same time…there is some kind of link established…" He looked at Frank to see him blinking dazedly. "Donovan?"

Frank let out his breath in a heavy sigh, still clutching the amulet. "I'm fine. Call me Frank; we do, after all, share the same soul," he said, with a slight smile, the strange occurrence obviously making him accept the situation as indeed being fact. 

Ardeth returned the smile. He reached to take his amulet back from Safti, before realizing what that would result in. He thought for a minute. "This 'link' may serve a purpose," he said. 

"Purpose?" said Jake. "It made you both zone out!"

_Zone out?_ "It may be that we were not expecting it, and did not wait long enough for it to possibly diminish." Ardeth looked at Frank again.

Frank seemed to know what he was asking, and nodded at him. He tried to reach up and put the amulet around his neck with his uninjured arm. 

Monica saw his struggle, and took it, gently putting it around his neck for him. 

Frank smiled his thanks at her.

Ardeth took his amulet back from Safti, and put it around his own neck. Instantly the reaction happened again, but this time he was expecting it, and he closed his eyes and breathed deeply and slowly. Something in his mind told him to tell Frank to do the same, for it seemed to be helping, and he managed to open his eyes to see that Frank was already doing it. He closed his eyes again as it continued, and then, as he suspected, it started to lessen. He opened his eyes and looked at Frank, who opened his a minute later, obviously struggling with a worse reaction then Ardeth, due to his poor health. 

"Frank?" said Alex.

"Ardeth?" said Safti.

Everyone looked at the two of them, waiting for one of them to speak. 

"It appears to have worked," Ardeth finally said. "Dono—Frank, do you feel different in any way?"

Frank almost laughed at that. Different? He felt like crap. 

Ardeth realized his mistake in asking such a question; especially when he saw Frank's eyes keep drifting closed and opening again in a valiant attempt to remain awake. He had more questions he wanted to ask, but he saw that they needed to be saved for a later time. "We will leave you to your rest," he told Frank.

Frank nodded his thanks, and fell right to sleep. 

********************

"I can _not_ believe what my husband has told me."

Jake and Cody looked at Suhaylah, as she walked beside them, through the camp.

"Pretty hard to believe, huh?" said Jake.

Suhaylah sighed. "You _must_ succeed in saving him. Ardeth is our greatest leader; without him the Med-jai would be lost."

"Heh, no pressure," Cody muttered.

They were silent for most of the time, as they questioned one Med-jai after another. Many seemed surprised and upset over the 'rumor' that had been heard around Cairo, that someone was after their Chief. Others shrugged it off, saying that many threats had been made and hardly any ever followed through. 

When they were finished, they we still at square one, having learned nothing. They all stood there for a minute, not sure what to do next. A cooling wind suddenly blew, chilling the sweat on their faces.

"Ahh!" Cody said, "That feels great!" He turned his face directly into the wind, facing Suhaylah, and suddenly noticing something he hadn't noticed earlier. "Oh hey! When are you due?"

Suhaylah looked at him strangely. "Due for what?"

"Oh, uh, um…" Cody said, gesturing to her stomach, which they could see protruding, now that the wind was blowing against her robes.

"Ah," she said. "Soon."

"Congratulations," said Jake, shaking his head at Cody's lack of tact. 

"Shukran," Suhaylah said, smilingly shyly. "Safti and I have waited a long time." She paused, suddenly looking very sad. "I hope that Ardeth lives to see it, he is nearly as excited as Safti."

Cody and Jake looked at each other, and sighed. 

"We'll do our best to make sure he does," said Jake, not knowing what else to say.


	9. Astounding Revelation

_The small boy walked into the tent, and saw the scimitar lying on the bedroll. Curiosity overwhelming him, he went over to it, and tried to take it out of its sheath. It was bigger then he was, but he finally managed to get it out. Dragging it behind him, he left the tent._

_Seeing his father a short distance away, he tried to drag it towards him._

_Suddenly, someone yelled, "Chief!"_

_The boy's father looked up, and saw his four-year-old son towing the heavy sword through the sand._

_"La!" he yelled. "Waqqaf! Heh-sib! Hut-too taht!"_

_The child looked up. "Ana 'askari qawi!" he yelled, and tried to pick it up._

_The warriors nearest the boy ran over to take it from him, but the child lost his balance, unable to lift the heavy sword, and instead fell on the blade._

_At his son's scream, the Med-jai Chief ran to him. "Ardeth!"_

Frank jumped, with a start. He felt a hand touch his arm, and knew it to be Shamara, who he could feel was still faithfully wiping his face with cool water, trying to disperse the fever completely. 

"Frank?" he heard.

Looking to the left, he saw that Ardeth was there, sitting nearby.

Ardeth could see the confusion in Frank's face, so he asked, "Are you all right?"

Frank nodded. "I had a strange dream…"

Ardeth's eyebrows went up. "Shamara, leave us please."

"Yes, my Chief." She stood, and left.

Ardeth looked at Frank again. "Tell me."

Frank took a deep breath and let it out before starting. "I saw a small boy; he looked no older then three. He took a sword out of a tent, and dragged it outside. Some of the men spotted him, including his father who yelled for him to stop, and put it down. But the boy yelled, "I am a great warrior!" and tried to pick it up instead. The boy fell on the blade, and his father yelled out his name." He stopped when he saw the look of amazement on Ardeth's face. "It was _your_ name." 

Ardeth nodded. "Yes…but I was four years of age, not three." _Hard to believe I was smaller then the other children my age at the time…_

Frank's eyebrows flew up. "You're telling me that that really happened?" He frowned. "How did I dream about it?"

Ardeth shook his head slightly, and fingered the amulet around his neck. "It appears that the link we have is very deep…"

Frank picked up the amulet around his own neck, and looked at it as if he expected it to sprout wings and fly.  "Did you hurt yourself on the sword?" he asked, still studying the amulet.

Ardeth nodded. "Yes, quite badly. The wound in itself wasn't deadly, but the loss of blood I suffered was very great, I still have the scar." 

"So the 'great warrior' almost didn't make it to the age of five," Frank said, dropping the amulet back to his chest when his weak body forced him to.

Ardeth was amazed again. Those were the very words he'd said to Rick O'Connell, when telling him about the incident recently.**1 **

Suddenly the tent flap opened, and Safti came in. Ardeth looked up at him, but Safti didn't say that he needed him for anything and sat down in the sand, obviously simply following Ardeth around so that nothing happened to him. 

"How did you come to learn Arabic?" Ardeth asked Frank.

"My mother was from Egypt," Frank told them.

Ardeth and Safti were surprised. 

"Her name was Alanur. She married my father, Frank Donovan Sr., and they ended up in America."

"Alanur?" said Ardeth, sounding shocked. 

Safti looked at him, before they both looked at Frank again.

"What?" Frank asked, slightly unnerved by their expressions.

"Did you know your grandfather?" Ardeth asked him, suddenly.

Frank shook his head. "He died before I was born. My mother didn't speak of him often, it was too painful for her."

Everyone was silent for a while, before Ardeth said, "There are a few names that I have chosen for my future children," Ardeth said. "Alanur is one of them."

Frank looked at Ardeth, realizing what he was trying to say. "Are you saying that I am _your_ grandson?!"

Safti gasped. "Yes! It begins to make sense. That is the reason you are identical, it is the reason why you have his soul!"

Ardeth nodded. "But there is a problem."

"What?" Frank and Safti both asked.

"I do not have any children, and yet am slated to die any day."

Safti's eyes grew huge. "In the original history, Alanur was born _before_ you died!"

Ardeth nodded. "But something in time has changed that, and now I die childless." They both looked at Frank, whose face was dawning with shocked realization.

"If we do not save your life," Safti said to Ardeth. "Then Frank will not be born!"

********************

Jake, Cody, Alex, and Monica stood outside the tent, waiting for Ardeth and Safti to come out. They'd heard the voices inside, and knew that the Med-jai Chief wanted to speak to their boss alone, and so were waiting. 

Cody let loose with a huge sigh.

"What?" Monica asked him.

"What if we're stuck here, in 1934?"

Everyone looked at him, stunned at the thought.

"No technology…" Cody said, with a sniff.

Alex gasped. "No more cool clothes!"

Jake sighed deeply. "No more visits to the kids at the orphanage…"

Everyone looked at him sympathetically, as his was the worst loss by far.

"Frank will miss his car!" Alex said, picturing the sleek silver and black Volvo S80.

"Heh, _you'll_ probably miss it as much as he would!" Monica said, and then shook her head. "Oh no, no more Marc Anthony or Enrique music!"

They all just stood there, depressed, until Jake spoke.

"Look, if that amulet got us here, then it must be able to get us back."

"Yeah, but maybe only if we save Ardeth Bay's life," said Alex, with a sigh. "If we don't succeed…"

"Then we'll just have to make sure we _do_ succeed," Jake said. "But not just to get us back home. Bay is important to these people; they don't just follow him, they _love_ him! Why should he die if he's being given a second chance at life? He wouldn't be _given_ this chance if it weren't important that he lives."

They all nodded at him, agreeing. 

"I wonder what that old man has to do with all this," said Cody.

"Looks like you'll get your chance to ask him," said Monica, pointing.

They looked up to see the old man coming towards them. 

"Hey," said Cody, eying him suspiciously. "What do you _really_ have to do with all this?"

Alex O'Connell stopped in front of them, and frowned, forgetting that the strangers hadn't been in the tent when he'd told Ardeth who he was. 

"I was a child in 1934," he told them. "My parents were good friends with Ardeth Bay, he was like an uncle to me. When he…died…we attended his funeral…"

"And that's when you obtained his amulet," said Jake.

Alex nodded. 

"How did you know to give it to Frank?"

Alex O'Connell shrugged as he stated matter-of-factly; "The amulet told me."

Everyone looked at each other.

"Ah ha…" said Cody. Before he had the chance to say anything else, the tent flap suddenly flew open and Safti ran out.

"Shamara!" he yelled. 

Knowing that there could only be one reason for Safti to be calling for the healer, the team ran into the tent.

**1 **'One Thing After Another' by Deana: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=388565

LOL I'm bad, leaving it off like that, I know. Anyway, I made up a little limerick. Let me know it you like it:

There once was a gorgeous Med-jai

Who I want so bad I could cry

When I see him on TV

I relive my fantasy

Of it being the Med-jai and I

LOL and, as always, thanks to everyone for your reviews! :)


	10. The Desert is a Bizarre Place

"Frank!" Alex cried, when they all saw his very pale face. His eyes were closed tight and he was breathing too fast.

Ardeth was kneeling next to him, feeling the pulse on his wrist. 

Safti and Shamara came back in, and Shamara quickly knelt beside him. "What happened?" she asked.

Safti looked like he wasn't sure how to explain, for some reason. "He is in pain," he simply said.

Seeing the anxious looks on the team's faces, Ardeth stood and motioned for them to follow him outside the tent.

With worried looks at Frank, the team hesitated, until Ardeth said, "Come, I will tell you what you desire to know."

Remembering that Ardeth wasn't going to tell them in front of Shamara, they followed him.

"What happened to Frank?" Jake asked, when they were outside.

Ardeth sighed. "We figured out something…shocking. It was apparently too much for him, in his condition."

"What was it?" Monica asked, nervously, knowing that there weren't many things that could shake up their boss.

Ardeth proceeded to tell them what he, Safti, and Frank had discussed in the tent, including their relation and the fact that Ardeth has no children at the present time. "If I am killed, then I will die childless, and Frank will not be born," he told them.

They all stared, speechless, for a long time. 

"No wonder," said Cody. "No _wonder_ he almost lost it! The poor guy's been shot, zapped back in time, told he has to somehow prevent the death of someone who looks like his twin brother and then finds out you're his grandfather, and then told in different words that if _you_ die, _he'll_ die!"

Ardeth sighed. "I am sorry I can not do anything about this."

Everyone shook their heads, not knowing what to say. Finally they went back into the tent; to see Frank's face more relaxed, but still pale.

"I have given him more medicine," said Shamara. "He is sleeping."

Frank's team sighed in unison, Ardeth wondered if they even realized it.

"Something's gotta be done!" said Cody, in exasperation.

"I am doing all that I can," Shamara told him.

Cody frowned, having spoken regarding the current crisis, not Shamara's care of Frank. 

Ardeth knew what he meant, and motioned for Jake to follow him outside again. Jake was surprised to see that it already felt cooler then before they'd entered the tent; the sun was setting, and he knew that it would soon be quite cold. _The desert is a bizarre place,_ he thought.

"What's up? Do you have a plan?" he asked. 

"I have told some of my men to go into Cairo tomorrow to see if there are any rumors about, or any strange activities," he said. "They will visit the curator of the Museum of Antiquities to ask if he has heard anything. If anything has been said, he will know."

Jake frowned. "You mean the curator is one of you?"

Ardeth nodded.

Jake smiled. "Convenient. If he _had_ heard something, wouldn't he have told you somehow?"

Ardeth sighed. "Yes, that is the one thing that troubles me."

Jake nodded, seeing his point. "Can I send some of my people with them? Monica is a profiler, she may pick up on something no one else would."

Ardeth frowned. "Profiler?"

Jake saw that he didn't understand the word. "Oh, uh…she can figure things out about people…their personalities and stuff…she can tell if someone is lying and how they'll likely act or react to situations."

Ardeth seemed impressed. "Very well, I will inform my men. Do you wish to send anyone else?"

Jake thought for a second. "I guess Cody can go with her. Alex stays with me in case something happens tomorrow. I'll need her."

Ardeth seemed surprised that he would rather keep the woman to fight with him instead of the man.

Jake saw his surprise. "She's a tough gal."

Ardeth nodded. "I see."

Jake laughed at his expression. "She was trained like Frank and I for physical confrontations. Cody and Monica weren't."

"Ah," Ardeth said, understanding, or appearing to, at least.

********************

The next day, Ardeth's warriors left, along with Monica, Cody, and Alex O'Connell, who'd said that he might be able to get places the others couldn't; who would pay attention to an old man? 

Jake went to the tent housing Frank, and opened the flap. Stepping in, he stopped, in surprise.

Frank wasn't lying there.

Jake heard a noise and looked toward it, with a gasp at what he saw. Frank was standing—if you could call it that—leaning on a table precariously, with his one good arm.

"Frank?! What are you _doing_?!"

Frank sighed when Jake ran over and grabbed him. "I _was_ attempting to walk."

"_Attempting_ is right," said Jake, sarcastically, trying to pull him back to where he'd been laying.

"No, Jake."

"What do you mean, _no_?" said Jake. "What are you trying to do?"

"Leave the tent!"

"Are you nuts?" Jake said. "You can't." 

"Jake," Frank sighed, trying to pull out of his grasp. "There is a threat on a man's life; a man that we are here to protect. How am I supposed to do that from in here?"

"How are you supposed to do that with three bullet wounds?" Jake countered.

Frank sighed again. "Jake…I simply want to have a look around. Is that too much to ask?"

Jake sighed. _How do I let him talk me into these things? Last time I let him, he almost got killed._**2**

"Wait," he said. "You need to cover your head, it's scorching out there." Leaning Frank against the table again, Jake quickly looked for a piece of cloth, and found one. Trying to remember how the turbans looked on the Med-jai's heads, he tried to make it into one, but failed miserably. Finally, not wanting Frank to grow weaker by standing there, he simply plopped the cloth on Frank's head, with an amused snort. "Better then nothing," he said.

Frank gave him a mock glare.

Jake shook his head, in amazement at how much Frank looked even more like Ardeth now. "Hope I don't regret this," he said, taking Frank's arm again and helping him slowly limp towards the tent opening.

Frank didn't think to shade his eyes, as he was focusing all his concentration on the act of walking. The sun's glare blinded him, and he gave a surprised gasp, automatically trying to bring up his right hand to shade his eyes. The only problem was that Jake had a death grip on his right arm, and Frank couldn't use his left, of course, so had no choice but to simply close his eyes.

Jake realized the problem, and let go of Frank's forearm, holding onto his upper arm instead so that Frank could lift his hand to shade his eyes. With a sigh, Jake shook his head at himself. Frank had been stuck in the tent for two days, where there had been no direct sunlight. He should have thought of that.

Frank finally put his hand back down, his eyes remaining in a squint.

"Ready?" Jake asked him.

Frank nodded, and they started to walk. 

Frank tried to ignore his pain, as he looked around in amazement, realizing that this was where his mother had come from. _This is how she lived? In a tent in the middle of the desert! _He had to keep reminding himself that they had a mystery to solve and someone's life to protect. _My grandfather, of all people._

**2 **'Mystery of the Mind' by Deana: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=565988****


	11. Dr. Frank, lol

As they walked through the camp, Frank was so engrossed in his surroundings that he didn't notice the surprised stares of some of the Med-jai.

"Frank?"

"What?"

"I think you better cover your face…" Jake said, as he reached over to Frank's injured shoulder and picked up the end of the cloth that was hanging from his head. "People are noticing how much you look like Bay." 

Frank saw the wisdom in the suggestion, and held the cloth over his face, trying not to look anyone in the eye as they continued to slowly walk.

"Had enough yet?" Jake asked a couple minutes later.

As if Frank's body had been waiting to be asked that, his vision suddenly clouded over as a wave of dizziness struck him, making him lose his balance and nearly fall into Jake.

"I think that's a 'yes'," Jake said, as he put an arm around Frank and turned him back around in the direction they'd came.

Frank didn't answer as he closed his eyes, trying to disperse the spots before them and force away the massive lightheadedness. It felt like there was a pulse beating in his head in time with his suddenly pounding heart, and he felt shaky and out of breath. _Blood pressure's too low_, he realized. _The blood I lost wasn't replaced! Jake was right, I shouldn't've gotten up yet…_

"You all right, Frank? Frank?" Jake frowned, worried when he didn't answer, as he tried to get him back to the tent quickly. Suddenly Ardeth was there, and Jake wondered where he'd come from as Ardeth wordlessly helped him bring Frank back into the tent, and lie him down. 

As Jake watched Frank worriedly, he felt Ardeth's eyes on him, and looked up. 

"That was unwise," Ardeth told him.

_No kidding._ "Yeah, I can see that." Jake wasn't sure if Ardeth meant letting Frank walk around, or letting his tribe see him. He didn't ask. _Probably both. _He looked for the water pitcher that Shamara had left in there, and grabbed it.

Frank had a hand over his eyes, wishing the tent would stop spinning. When he heard Jake pouring the water, he said, "Salt."

Ardeth frowned. "Salt?"

Jake's eyebrows went up. "Yeah, do you have any? If we put some in the water it'll bring his blood pressure up a little and make him feel a little better."

Ardeth's eyebrows flew up at the interesting info. Before he could stand, the tent flap suddenly opened, and Safti and Suhaylah walked in. Suhaylah's surprise at Frank and Ardeth's resemblance was obvious. 

When Frank heard them come in, he opened his eyes.

Suhaylah looked at him, then Ardeth, and back at Frank again, with a smile. "So this is your grandson, Ardeth?" she said. "I don't see such a great resemblance, he's far better looking than you."

Safti looked at his wife, astonished. He looked at Ardeth to see that his mouth was actually open, in shock.

Suhaylah started to laugh. "I am jesting, Ardeth!" she waddled closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, where he sat in the sand. "The resemblance is astounding!" 

Ardeth laughed and patted her hand. "Yes, it is."

"This is Suhaylah," Safti told Frank, smiling at her joke on Ardeth. "My wife."

"Itsharrafna, Suhaylah," Frank said.

Suhaylah smiled. "Kezalik, Frank."

Jake looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what they were saying.

"I wanted to see this for myself," Suhaylah told Ardeth. "So I told Shamara that I would take over our guest's care so that she may take a deserved rest."

"You don't have to do that," Frank said, concerned for her obviously delicate condition. "I'm fine now, I need no more care."

_'I'm fine now,' he says,_ thought Jake. _He wasn't fine a few minutes ago. _"Except for the salt," he said, realizing that Safti and Suhaylah's appearance had made them forget about getting it.

"Salt?" said Safti.

Ardeth looked contrite, sorry to have forgotten. As he started to stand, the tent flap opened yet again, and Alex Cross walked in.

"Alex! Get me some salt," Jake told her.

Alex stopped in mid-step, whipped around, and left again.

Suhaylah tried to sit next to Ardeth, but had obvious difficulty. Safti immediately took her arm and he and Ardeth both helped her to sit on the sand.

"Mabruk," Frank congratulated her, with a smile.

"Shukran," she said, smiling back as she reached over to feel if he still had the fever Shamara had told her about.  

Alex came back in then, and handed the salt to Jake, who wished that they would stop speaking Arabic as he poured some in the water. "Here, Frank."

Frank drank it, forcing himself to not make a face at the taste. When he lay back down again, Suhaylah put a wet cloth on his forehead.

"I do not understand the significance of the salt," she said.

"In the future, doctors found out what they call 'blood pressure'," Frank said, realizing that this was something that they needed to know; it could save lives within their tribe. "It is a measurement of the pressure of the blood flowing through the body as the heart beats." He looked at everyone to see them listening intently. "When someone loses a lot of blood the blood pressure drops significantly; causing dizziness, weakness, fainting. Salt has been proven to raise blood pressure, which alleviates those symptoms."

"Fascinating, Dr. Frank," Jake said, smiling.

"Amazing," Suhaylah said.

Frank nodded. "It is, but in people who eat too much salt, it is a cause of death; by raising the blood pressure too much and causing a heart attack or a stroke."

Suhaylah, Safti, and Ardeth looked alarmed to hear that part. 

"Heart attack?" said Safti.

"Stroke?" said Suhaylah.

Frank sighed; realizing that they didn't know what _those_ were either. Suddenly he yawned, unable to keep his eyes open. 

"Frank needs to sleep," Alex said. "Jake and I can tell you anything you want to know."

Suhaylah nodded. "All right."

Safti suddenly realized that Ardeth had been very quiet, and looked at him when he heard him sigh.

"Frank," Ardeth said, suddenly. "What is she like?"

Frank opened his eyes slightly, confused at the sudden change of subject. "My mother?"

Ardeth nodded. 

Frank closed his eyes again, and smiled slightly. "She's wonderful. Sweet, loving, beautiful. She looks a lot like you…us."

At that, Ardeth smiled slightly.

"She has your hair, but longer. She's about 5'5." He paused, his half-asleep mind not sure what else to say about her. "She was _the_ best mother, as I grew up. When I picked my profession, she was nervous, as any good mother would be, but she supported me in what I wanted to do…" Frank's voice trailed off as he fell asleep.

Ardeth sat there for a minute longer, before standing and leaving the tent.

Safti ran after him. "Ardeth, wait."

Ardeth turned to look at him, and sighed. "Safti, I am sure I can go from this tent to my own without being killed!"

Safti stopped in front of him, saying nothing.

Ardeth sighed again. "I am sorry, sadiqi." He paused. "I have been thinking."

Safti nodded. "As have I."

"Come," Ardeth said, slapping Safti on the shoulder. "Let us go for a ride. We can talk."

Safti felt a glimmer of fear at mention of a ride, not knowing who was out there, after Ardeth. His friend had already started to walk towards the horses however, and Safti ran to catch up to him.

'Itsharrafna': Egyptian Arabic for "Nice to meet you."

'Kezalik': "Likewise."

'Marbruk': 'Congratulations." 


	12. The Enemy is Revealed

"Lock-nah's men!"

Monica and Cody turned around to see Alex O'Connell running towards them. They were still in Cairo, trying to dig up information. So far, they'd come up empty. "Who?"

Alex stopped, trying to catch his breath. His old body wasn't used to so much activity. "I just saw the curator. He said he sent a message a few days ago to Ardeth, warning him that members of Lock-nah's tribe are after him. Ardeth did _not_ received any message, or he would've told us!"

"Wait a minute," said Monica. "Who is this Lock-nah?"

Alex shook his head. "A horrible man. When Ardeth became leader of his tribe, Lock-nah tried to kill him, so he could take over the Med-jai. Years later, he was finally executed**3.** Lock-nah's men are after Ardeth for the death of their leader! We have to get back and warn him!"

********************

_"SHAMARA!"_

_Frank looked behind himself to see Safti rushing around in a panic, calling for the Med-jai healer. Frank ran over, to see what was wrong._

_"What is it?!" he asked, seeing the terror on the Med-jai's face._

_"It's Ardeth!" Safti said, his voice breaking. "He's dying!"_

_Before Frank could say anything, Shamara came out of nowhere, and they all followed Safti. They found Ardeth lying in the sand; unconscious, with blood all over his robes. _

_Frank knelt beside him, belatedly noticing the rest of his team behind him. _

_Shamara tried to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't working; Ardeth was losing more then Frank thought possible. Finally she shook her head. "I can do nothing," she said, tears making her words nearly indistinguishable._

_"No!" Safti yelled. "Ardeth!"_

_"No…" Frank echoed, softly._

_Ardeth seemed to hear him, and opened his eyes. "I…am…sorry…" he whispered, to Frank._

_Frank realized that Ardeth was apologizing for now indirectly causing his own death. He shook his head, grabbing Ardeth's arm. "Do something!" he said to Shamara. He didn't want Ardeth to die, and he didn't want to die either! He watched as Ardeth took his last breath, and suddenly everything faded to black…_

"NO!" 

Frank bolted upright, breathing heavily. "No!" he said again.

"Frank?!"

Frank heard the voice, but showed no evidence of that as he tried to get up.

"Frank!" It was Jake. "What is it? No, don't get up…"

"Don't start, Jake! We have to find him!"

"Who?" Jake asked, holding Frank's arm, trying to prevent him from standing.

"Ardeth! We _have_ to find him…"

Jake saw that he wasn't going to succeed in keeping Frank down. "Wait, Frank! At least drink some water first."

Frank realized what he was trying to do, and took the salty water, drinking it down in one gulp. "We have to find him, _now_!"

Jake sighed, as he helped Frank stand. "Why?"

Frank shook his head, as he tried to limp quickly towards the tent's opening. _Because I had a dream that he died? _How could he explain it to Jake without sounding like a fool? 

Jake opened the flap, and they left the tent. He stopped there, forcing Frank to wait, as he scanned the camp, looking to see if he spotted Ardeth anywhere. "I don't see him."

Frank didn't either. "There's Suhaylah."

"Suhaylah!" Jake yelled, and beckoned to her when she looked in their direction.

She waddled over. "Yes?"

"Do you know where Ardeth is?"

Suhaylah shook her head. "No…" she looked around. "I do not see my husband either."

Frank sighed, having a very bad feeling about this.

********************

Ardeth and Safti said nothing for a while, as they enjoyed the ride. They kept the pace high, relishing the coolness of the wind. Finally they stopped, a good distance from camp.

"Tell me your thoughts, Ardeth," Safti said, the first one to break the silence.

Ardeth sighed. It was a long moment before he spoke. "I am…afraid."

Safti was shocked. Fear was one thing Ardeth Bay hardly _ever_ admitted to. He was silent, knowing that there was more.

"I do not want to die," Ardeth continued. "I want to marry and have children…Alanur." He shook his head, with a slight smile; picturing the baby girl that would be his…if he was lucky.

Safti sighed, and opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again.

Ardeth saw him. "What?"

Safti sighed. "Suhaylah will have our child soon. I hope that you…live…to see it."

Ardeth echoed the sigh, looking down at the sand. He wanted nothing more then to be there. When Safti had told him the news, he had been as ecstatic as the soon-to-be father. Not knowing what to say, he was silent.

Suddenly, Ardeth looked up, his head flying around. Safti followed his gaze, and it was then that he heard the distinctive displacement of air. His eyes wide, he watched helplessly as an arrow embedded itself in his friend. Clutching his chest, Ardeth crumpled from the horse, hitting the sand with a resounding thud.

"ARDETH!" Safti yelled; jumping from his saddle, and kneeling beside him.

Ardeth gasped for air as his fingers blindly groped for the arrow. The effort became increasingly futile, as the arrow grew slick with blood; but he was so desperate to relieve the horrible pain that he wouldn't give up. 

"Ardeth…" Safti said, his voice tearful. _They couldn't prevent this; he is going to die!_ "No…"

Ardeth hazily registered Safti's anxious face hovering over him, as the sky above pitching sickeningly. "Safti," he whispered. "Who…"

Safti remembered that the shooter had to still be around, and he stood and looked in all directions. Seeing no one, he knelt beside his leader—and friend—again. "Ardeth, you are _not_ going to die," he said. "I will not _let_ you!"

Ardeth felt his friend's hands close over his, drawing them away from the arrow. Closing his eyes tightly again as a wave of nausea swept through him, Ardeth let his arms limply drop away. The slight movement to the arrow as Safti's hands gripped it sent ripples of pain surging through him. Biting his lip to stifle a cry, Ardeth braced himself.   

Prepared to pull it out, Safti hesitated, studying its location for a second, before deciding that it would be too dangerous to do it there, away from help. Sighing, he settled for snapping the protruding piece of wood, shortening it to about three inches in length.

Ardeth cried out in pain when he did it, his breath coming faster. 

"I'm sorry…" Safti said, beside himself that he had caused Ardeth more pain. 

Ardeth tried to speak, but couldn't. 

"Shh, no…Ardeth…don't…" Safti stumbled over his words as he tried to figure out how to safely get Ardeth back to the camp. Running over to the horses, he tied Ardeth's to his own, wishing that they had brought a canteen of water with them. He went back to Ardeth to find him shaking; gasping in pain, seemingly unable to get sufficient air. 

Safti fought to blink back tears as he tried to gently pick Ardeth up. Surprisingly, Ardeth didn't cry out with pain that time, but Safti didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one. He somehow managed to get him onto the horse, and sat behind him, trying to keep a firm hold on his friend, as well as the horse's reins.

**3  **'Wrath's Return' by Deana: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=370331


	13. The Link of Life

"Frank!"

Frank looked up to see Alex Cross hurrying over to where he and Jake stood. They were all still looking for Ardeth, and Frank hated to admit that he was getting more then a little nervous.

"Ardeth and Safti both rode off, someone told me," said Alex.

"They did?"

She nodded. 

Frank was about to ask where they might've gone, when suddenly a red-hot searing pain laced through his chest, stealing his breath away.

"Frank?" Jake said, when he suddenly gasped and slumped towards the sand, his legs buckling beneath him. "Frank?!" he repeated, alarmed to see Frank gasping for breath he didn't seem to have, the hand on his good arm clutching his chest.

Alex lunged to help Jake catch him. "Frank! What—"

"Not…me…" Frank managed to gasp out, in a whisper. "Ardeth…"

Suddenly there was a commotion, and Alex O'Connell's voice rang out. "ARDETH!"

Looking up, Jake and Alex saw Monica and Cody with him, who, when they spotted Frank, all ran over.  

"Frank!" Monica yelled. "Are you all right?"

Jake looked at Frank to see that he was breathing easier, and wasn't hunched over in pain anymore. "He's okay," Jake said, not sure how to explain what had just happened, and whether or not it really meant what Frank was trying to imply. "I _told_ him not to get up yet."

"Where's Ardeth?" Cody asked. "We found out who's after him!"

Jake looked up at him, in surprise. "He isn't here; he and Safti rode off somewhere earlier."

Alex O'Connell gasped. "No! They might find him!"

"Who?" Jake asked. "Who's after him?"

O'Connell sighed, too impatient and worried to explain it all again.

"Wait, let's get Frank back into the tent first," Alex Cross said, as they helped him stand. 

They got him in quickly, and O'Connell told them what they learned.

"Wow, this guy sounds like a real jerk," Alex said.

O'Connell nodded. "He was."

"SHAMARA!"

Everyone jumped when Safti's voice suddenly rang through the camp. 

"Oh, God!" Alex O'Connell said, at the implications of why Safti would be calling for the healer. He ran out of the tent, faster then his 77-year-old body probably liked. 

Frank grabbed Jake's arm before he had a chance to leave him there, and forced his subordinate to take him with him. As they left the tent, Frank had to fight a chill that went down his spine, as his dream seemed to be becoming reality; Shamara running to Safti, and all of them following the Med-jai to Ardeth; who was lying in the sand with blood all over his robes, just as in Frank's dream.

"No…" he whispered, knowing what was about to happen. 

But then, things started to change.

"Bring him into the tent!" Shamara told them.

Safti picked him up, and obeyed, lying him down gently.

Ardeth cried out in pain then, seeming unable to breathe as his lips turned blue from lack of oxygen.

Shamara tried to at least slow the bleeding, knowing that if she removed the arrow now he would bleed to death in an instant. With tears in her eyes, she shook her head; knowing that he would not…_could_ not make it, the arrow being in the center of his chest on the right side, having gone between his ribs, and possibly into a lung. 

"Shamara?" Safti whispered.

She didn't answer, either not having heard him as she concentrated on her job, or not wanting to tell them Ardeth was dying. 

Safti looked at Frank, to see him pale and breathing heavily. _Their souls are linked, _he thought. _Perhaps…_ he looked at the amulet dangling from Frank's neck as he leaned over Ardeth, Jake gripping him tightly. Safti watched in shock as the amulet glowed, when it swung over Ardeth's.

Safti grabbed Frank's amulet in one hand, and Ardeth's in the other. "Your soul!" he said, to Frank.

Frank seemed to understand what he was trying to say. He leaned a little closer so that Safti could hold both amulets together. They both started to glow, and Frank gasped when he felt an intense dizziness sweep through him; the inside of the tent starting to spin. 

Beneath them, Ardeth cried out in pain, and went limp. 

He wasn't breathing.

Frank closed his eyes when the spinning intensified, and he wondered if this was it; it he was about to die. That was his last conscious thought. 

"Frank!" Jake cried, when he went limp in his arms. 

"Lay him down!" said Safti. Jake obeyed, allowing Safti to better hold the two amulets together as they glowed with a growing intensity. "Shamara, pull out the arrow!" he said. "Do what you can to repair the injury, _quickly_!" 

Transfixed by the glow, everyone continued to watch the amulets, as Shamara pulled out the arrow and went to work, having no idea what was going on.  

The glow stopped a few minutes later, surprising them all with its abruptness.  

"I have done all that I can," they heard Shamara announce, her voice slightly startling everyone. None of them had even registered that she'd treated Ardeth's injury, as they'd watched the amulets, transfixed. Shocked, they glanced at her and each other, and then looked at Frank and Ardeth, not sure what to expect.

Frank was out cold, but alive.

Ardeth was still, his chest seemingly not rising or falling.

"A-Ardeth?" Safti whispered. 

Suddenly Ardeth took a breath…then another one…and another.

Everyone gasped in shock.

"Ardeth!" said Safti. _It worked…it worked! _He was surprised but overjoyed when Ardeth suddenly opened his eyes slightly. 

Ardeth saw the smiling faces around him, and realized that he was still alive. The smiles were a good sign, and he smiled back and started to close his eyes again, when he realized that somebody was missing. Sensing someone beside him, he turned his head to see Frank, out cold. He was concerned until he felt the two amulets resting atop his chest, and realized what had happened. _His soul—my soul—saved my life,_ he thought. _Prevented me from dying…_he smiled when he realized that he would have a wife and Alanur after all…

No, that wasn't the end, Frank and co. still have to get back to 2002, LOL! ;)

Wow, you reviewers are the BEST people in the world! Karri and I thank you so much! I felt so bad for ending last night's chapter like that, so I made sure I posted this one earlier to make up for it, lol. Keep reading and reviewing! Oh, and Lula, I LOVE long reviews, it makes me so happy to read what people think! Thanks! :) 


	14. 'Assalamu aleykum, tifl Na’im'

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! Patty, you left me a question, and here's your answer: yes, young Alex _did_ see Ardeth placed into his grave in chapter 1. If Frank had not ended up in 1934, and Safti had not used Frank's soul through the amulet to keep Ardeth alive, then Ardeth would've died, and Ardeth's death in chapter 1 is what would've happened! But Ardeth lived; so young Alex and his family won't be _at_ his funeral, because he isn't dead! Get it? (Did that make sense?) LOL :)

Frank opened his eyes and looked around, confused. For a minute, he thought it had all been some bizarre dream, but as he groggily looked around, he realized that it had all been true. 

Ardeth was lying nearby, looking better then he had earlier…or was it the day before? Frank had no idea how much time had passed. Jake and Alex O'Connell were sitting near him, and the three of them were talking.

Cody was pacing, and Monica and Alex also were whispering. Everyone looked a strange mixture of happy and nervous.

"What's going on?" he asked, feeling like he'd missed something.

Everyone looked at him and smiled, looking relived. They all came closer, except Ardeth, whose wound probably would make trying to stand too painful. He was close enough to Frank to not warrant getting up, anyway. 

"How do you feel, Frank?" Monica asked.

"Like I could sleep for a month."

Cody laughed. "You already got a head start!"

Frank frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've been out cold for two days," Jake told him.

Frank blinked, in shock. "What?"

They all nodded. 

Frank suddenly remembered what had occurred before he'd passed out. "What in the world was all that?" he asked.

"Your soul."

Frank looked to Ardeth, to see him half sitting up, on his elbows. "You have my soul. When I was about to die, through the amulets, your soul kept me alive." 

"The One became Two," said Alex O'Connell. "Your soul—which had been Ardeth's—did the job of keeping two people alive."

Frank shook his head, still in a state of shock over the entire situation.

Suddenly there was a commotion, and Safti burst into the tent. "I have a son!" he yelled.

"WOO HOO!" Cody yelled back.

Everyone smiled, congratulating him. 

"What's his name?" Alex Cross asked.

"Na'im," Safti said. He looked at Ardeth, and smiled bigger.

Ardeth understood the unspoken statement; Safti's joy was so much more, with Ardeth alive. 

"I shall return," Safti said, and ran off.

Frank looked at Ardeth, and smiled at him. "How are you doing?"

"Better then I feared," he said, smiling back. "Because of you, I am alive."

Frank nodded. "Likewise."

A minute later Safti came back, with a tiny bundle of cloths. 

Monica and Cody gasped, when they realized it was the baby. They, Jake, and both Alex's surrounded him, 'aww-ing' over little Na'im. 

Safti smiled at them, and brought the baby for Ardeth to see. 

Ardeth was amazed at how much it looked like Safti. The light layer of black hair was slightly curled, and the baby had big brown eyes. Ardeth sighed when he realized what had happened in the 'original' history. He had died, Safti had become leader, and his firstborn son had been born all within a matter of two short days. He could not imagine how poor Safti had handled it.

Safti looked at him when he heard him sigh. "Ardeth?"

Ardeth smiled at him. "You are a fortunate man, Safti."

Safti grinned ear to ear, and looked down at little Na'im again. He stood, and brought him over to Frank this time.

Frank smiled, despite himself. This had to be the most adorable baby he had ever seen. Surprising himself, he touched the baby's hand, sticking his finger in the tiny fist. "Assalamu aleykum, tifl Na'im," he said, getting a huge smile out of Safti. "He's right," Frank said. "You _are_ a lucky man."

Safti nodded. "And I have you to thank that my son still has his 'amm."

"His what?" asked Cody.

"Uncle," Frank translated.

"Uncle? You guys are brothers?" said Cody.

Everyone looked at him, and laughed.

"No, but we may as well be," Ardeth said, with a smile.

Safti nodded, but suddenly his smile disappeared.

"What?" Ardeth asked.

"I have just realized," Safti said, standing again. "Suhaylah has not really seen him yet!"

Everyone's jaws dropped as he quickly left the tent again.

"He's so excited, that he forgot about his poor wife!" said Cody, laughing.

********************

Two days later, Frank and Ardeth were still on the mend, but itching to be let free of their 'prison'. Shamara was taking no nonsense from them, making them stay put. The only advantage was that they had plenty of time to talk. 

The day that Frank had woken up, after the excitement over baby Na'im, he had wondered how Ardeth had been shot with an arrow. He expressed concern on how the culprits would be apprehended, if they hadn't already disappeared. 

"We disposed of them all," Ardeth had told him.

"How?" asked a surprised Frank.

"While you and I were still unconscious, some of my men found the group responsible, and they battled."

"What about the actual man who shot you? How can you be sure they got _him_?" Frank asked.

"Safti 'got him', as you put it. I still have not been told all the details, but apparently the man was killed by one of his own arrows."

Frank's eyebrows went up. "So you really are safe from them now."

Ardeth nodded, looking very relieved.

Frank smiled. Then he sighed. "So now the only remaining issue…how do we get back to 2002?"

Everyone puzzled over that for those two days, no one coming up with a resolution. Nothing they tried worked, and they were beginning to think that they were indeed stuck there. 

On the morning of the third day since Frank had awoken, Safti ran into the tent with surprising news.

"The O'Connell's are coming!"

Ardeth's eyebrows shot up, and he smiled. A few short days ago he had thought that he would die without seeing them again. Suddenly realizing something, he shot a shocked look at Safti.

"Inform Alex, before they arrive…"

Safti nodded, as if he had thought of that already, and left again.

"The O'Connell's? You mean his parents?" Frank asked.

Ardeth nodded. "I am unsure how he will react to seeing them…in your time, I am sure that neither of them are still alive…"

Frank nodded. "Good point."

Ardeth suddenly shook his head, prompting Frank to ask, "What?"

"I was just thinking of this coincidence; that my friends should decide to visit at the time they would have been here to attend my funeral..."

"It wasn't meant to happen," Frank interrupted. "Or we wouldn't've ended up here to try to prevent it. What's going on _now_ is what was supposed to. There's a fine line between coincidence and fate."

When Ardeth heard that last line, he was shocked speechless. It was exactly what he had said to Rick O'Connell the previous year, when they had defeated Imhotep the second time.

'Assalamu aleykum' Egyptian Arabic formal way of saying, 'pleased to meet you'/'welcome'

'tifl' baby


	15. 'Oochie woochie coochie coo'-- the Langu...

Shukran to Dreamscape for the last two lines of this chapter, for some reason I could not quite put into words what I wanted Ardeth to say, lol. Oh, and Patty: I should've known, LOL! ;) 

"Alex!"

Alex O'Connell looked up to see Safti running over to him. "Yeah?"

Safti stopped, in front of him. "Your parents are coming," he said, unsure of any easier way of saying it.

Alex's jaw dropped. "Here? They're coming here?"

Safti nodded. "They have been met by some of our lookouts a few miles away, and they sent a message by falcon informing us."

Alex sighed deeply. He wanted nothing more then to see his parents; to hear his mother's voice…his father's wisecracks…but it would be too painful to see them young and vibrant, when they have been gone for so long, in Alex's own day. 

"Don't tell them about me," he said. "If Ardeth tells them what happened, tell him to leave me out of the story. Please?" He sighed. "Let me know when they leave?"

Safti nodded, understanding. 

********************

"Safti!"

Evy O'Connell got out of the car and ran to hug him. "How are you?"

Safti smiled. "I am very well. I have something to show you, in fact!"

Evy smiled at him, wondering what it was. Looking around, she saw that someone important was missing. "Where's Ardeth?"

Before he got to answer, Rick came over. "Hey, 'Softy'!" he said, with a smirk.

Safti laughed, as he shook his hand. He never failed to be amused by Rick's nickname for him. "Ardeth is recovering from an injury—" Safti started to tell them.

Both Evy and Rick's smiles vanished. "What?!" Evy exclaimed. 

"He is all right," Safti tried to assure them. "As I said, he is recovering."

"What happened?" Rick asked, as they started to follow him.

Safti sighed. "It is a _very_ long story…"

********************

When Evy and Rick saw Frank and heard what had happened, they were completely shocked. 

Evy shook her head, practically speechless. "Why that…it's…that's just unbelievable!" 

"I dunno, considering all the crazy things we've seen," said Rick. "Somehow this doesn't sound as crazy as it would've 10 years ago."

"To imagine, that you are Ardeth's future grandson!" Evy said, to Frank.

"I know," Frank said, shaking his head. "It's hard to believe."

"And you have no idea how to get back home?"

Frank shook his head. "None."

Evy sighed, looking at Rick. 

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Rick said. "Even if you're here for a little while, so what? Consider it a vacation."

Frank nodded, and smiled. If only they know the job he had. Vacations were a thing he didn't get many of. "I'm sure you're right," he said. "We'll figure it out eventually." 

"Safti," said Evy. "You said you had something you wanted to show us?"

Safti's face lit up, and he nodded, rushing out of the tent. 

Evy and Rick watched him go, surprised at the look of glee on his face. "What on Earth…" Evy said, looking at Ardeth.

He smiled, but didn't say anything.

A minute later Safti came in, holding a bundle in his arms. He went over to Evy and Rick, and knelt in front of them.

"My son!" he proudly stated, handing the bundle to Evy.

She gasped, taking the baby from him. "Oooooh! Rick, look! How sweet!"

Rick smiled, and clapped Safti on the shoulder. "Congrats, buddy."

Safti smiled. "Shukran."

"When was he born? What did you name him?" Evy asked, laughing when the baby opened its eyes and yawned at her.

"Three days ago. His name is Na'im."

Evy looked at him, eyes opened wide. "Three days!" She looked at Ardeth and Frank. "Two days after the…incident."

They both nodded at her. It was almost a funny sight; they looked like twins if it weren't for Ardeth's longer hair and facial tattoos. 

"Suhaylah must be so happy!" Evy said. "I should go see how she's doing." She handed the baby to Rick, and then looked at Safti with a frown. "What did you say you named him?"

"Na'im. It means, 'to be contented'."

"Na'im!" Evy said, and started laughing.

Everyone looked at her. "Uh, honey," said Rick, "What's so funny?"

"Safti," said Evy. "What _else_ can Na'im mean?"

Safti frowned, before realizing whatever it was she was implying. Both he and Ardeth started to laugh along with her.

"Someone gonna clue us in?" said Rick. 

"Soft," Frank told him. "Na'im can also mean 'soft'."

Rick's jaw dropped, and he busted out laughing too.

Frank was the only one who didn't understand the joke. "Why is that so funny?" he asked.

"I call him 'Softy'," Rick told him, still laughing, as he bounced the baby gently. "When I first met him, and he said his name was 'Safti', I thought it sounded like 'Softy'."

"And his wife's name, 'Suhaylah'," said Evy. "Can mean 'soft' also."

Frank smiled. His smile turned into a look of shock when Safti said to him, "_You_ also called me Softy."

"What? When?"

"When you finally regained consciousness after we found you in the desert. I told you my name and you replied, 'Softy?'"

Rick busted out laughing again. "I can't believe it! This whole 'Softy' thing is too funny!"

Frank shook his head. "I don't remember."

"Understandable," said Ardeth. "You were seriously injured."

Frank nodded, glad that the pain he still had wasn't as bad as it had been.

"I'll be back!" said Evy, still laughing as she left the tent to visit Safti's wife. 

"'kay," Rick replied. He looked at the baby, and started making faces at it. "Oochie woochie coochie coo!" 

Everyone smiled at the sight of the macho ex-legionnaire cooing goofily at the baby. 

_He is a father also, after all,_ thought Ardeth. Suddenly a thought struck him. "Where is Alex?" he asked.

"At our Cairo home, with Jonathan," Rick said. "We're staying there for the winter, to get away from England's cold." He smiled. "Evy and I snuck away, Alex doesn't know we're here."

Ardeth smiled. "He will be upset if he finds out."

Rick shrugged. "He has three months to hang out here!"

"True," said Ardeth.

Frank watched the interaction between Rick and the Med-jai, and wondered how they had become such friends. "How did you meet?" he asked.

Rick, Ardeth, and Safti all exchanged glances. 

Ardeth nodded. "You _are_ my grandson," Ardeth said, the words sounding odd to his ears. "And, as such, are a Med-jai. What we are about to tell you should not be shared outside our society. If there comes a time when you feel you must, please exercise _extreme_ caution…"


	16. An Important Decision

Ardeth told Frank everything about the Med-jai. If Frank was shocked by what had gone on this past week, his shock was increased tenfold by the end of the evening. Sleep did not come easily for him that night, as he thought about the many unbelievable situations the Med-jai—and his grandfather—had been involved in. 

He was also trying to make a decision. Earlier, when Ardeth had said that Frank was a Med-jai, the conversation had taken an interesting turn.

"He _is_ a Medjai!" Safti had gasped, interrupting without thinking. As Ardeth tossed him a puzzled frown, Safti had raised his tattooed hand toward his Chief, who nodded, as he suddenly understood.  

"What?" Frank asked, catching the unspoken exchange.

"I will begin the tale in a moment, but first..." Ardeth paused, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"What?" Frank asked again, growing apprehensive. He waited, wondering what Ardeth was having trouble saying.

"I think what he's trying to tell you," said Rick. "Is that as a Med-jai, you need to be marked as one." 

Frank frowned. "Marked?"

Rick nodded, and held up his arm, showing him the tattoo on his wrist.

_Tattoos,_ Frank thought to himself. _Great, those will be a real career booster._ He took a deep breath, and looked at Ardeth. "I'm honored, I am, but…in my day, people don't walk around with tattoos on their faces…"

Ardeth and Safti both chuckled. "We do not expect you to get the facial tattoos," Ardeth said. "Perhaps a small one, like Rick's…"

Frank had never been one to consider defacing his body, but instead of refusing, he thought about it for a minute. _This is my heritage, _he thought. _That's different then getting a tattoo of a snake on your rear._

"Think about it," said Rick.

Ardeth nodded. "Yes. You do not have to give your answer now."

He'd nodded, and Ardeth had begun the stories.

Frank sighed, as he tried to imagine what life would be like if they were stuck there. As much as he was fascinated to find out what his ancestors were like, this was not his home…

********************

The next day, Frank woke feeling at ease, having resolved during the night that he would allow the Med-jai to mark him as a member of the tribe. Refusing the tattoo would be like running away from his heritage—_denying_ it—and he didn't want to do that. He knew there was still a lot he didn't know about the Med-jai, but he knew enough to be proud that they were the race he'd come from.

Frank thought about his mother, wondering what Alanur would think. The mental picture of her brought of smile to his face.  She would be proud, too, he was certain of it. _Now...just how do the Med-jai go about this process? _Frank wondered, frowning slightly. _Oh well_, he continued, mentally shrugging_. It can't be any worse than getting shot._

"You have made your decision?" Ardeth asked, startling Frank, who hadn't noticed that his 'grandfather' was awake. Ardeth could see the decision on his face, and swelled with pride inwardly. He said nothing, however. It was important that Frank say the words.

Frank looked at him. "I've decided to take the tattoo."

Ardeth couldn't hold back his smile, and Frank smiled back.

********************

A few hours later, everyone was assembled in the tent while Safti prepared to apply the tattoo. 

Frank was nervous about it, for some strange reason. He had decided to have it put on the inside of his right wrist, where it would not be as noticeable to the entire world thanks to his watch. In his line of work, any identifiable mark on his body could prove hazardous.

Everyone in Frank's team thought it was great for him to wear the sign of his people. 

"I wish I came from a cool race like this," Cody said, admittedly jealous.

Alex O'Connell was quietly watching, and thinking. His parents had left late last night, telling Ardeth that they'd be back in a couple of days. He sighed, wishing he could've seen them again, but knowing that he'd made the right decision. Looking up, he saw Safti holding Frank's arm steady on the table that the two of them were sitting up at, and Safti was just starting his work.

When Frank saw the large needle, he began to wish he'd changed his mind. _What's the matter with me, _he thought. _I've been shot, stabbed, had my spleen removed, and more…and I'm afraid of a needle?_ _I've been given more shots then I can count!_ He realized the difference could be in that the shots he'd gotten during his many hospital stays were to save his life, whereas this one was to permanently mark his body. _I can't back out now, this is important to Ardeth…my grandfather…and it's who I am. _He suddenly had to fight the urge to smile. _If the team only knew what I was thinking, they might actually think I'm human!_

"Ready?" Safti asked.

Frank nodded, trying to appear relaxed. When the thick needle was stuck into his skin, he had to bite back a gasp; it hurt more then he had thought, and he realized the reason being that the skin on his wrist was naturally more sensitive then other areas of the body. He stole a glance at Ardeth, to see him smiling proudly, and so he smiled back. 

Cody had a look of fascination on his face. Jake had seen tattoos done before, but was curious to see how Frank's came out. Alex and Monica looked sympathetic towards the pain they knew he felt, as usual, and Alex O'Connell was smiling too; a much happier man since his mission had been a success. 

Looking down at his wrist, Frank saw that Safti had not made fast progress. A tattoo being applied in 1934 was done quite differently then in 2002; painstakingly by hand, and with a very thick needle. He tried not to wince as Safti continued to do the outline with black ink, pressing the needle hard into his skin. The bullet wound in his side protested his sitting position, and he sighed inwardly, wondering how long it would take.

********************

The tattoo took Safti an hour to complete. Frank had begun it sitting up, but ended it lying down. The bullet wound in his side had grown more and more painful, and combining that and the pain he still had from the other gunshot wounds—not to mention the tattoo—it was sufficient to make him pale enough for the others to notice.

Frank had tried to shift his position slightly, to take pressure off the left side of his body, when he heard Ardeth's voice.

"Safti."

Safti looked up from his job and looked at Ardeth. He followed his leader's gaze to Frank's face, and frowned, angry at himself for not keeping in mind that Frank was still anything but healthy.

"Are you all right?" he asked. 

Frank's team looked up from studying the half finished tattoo, and saw their boss' pale face. They all rushed over, nervously, repeating Safti's question.

"I'm fine," Frank lied.

"Yeah, sure," said Jake. "Can you do this with him lying down, Safti?"

Safti nodded, and moved the small table as they all tried to help Frank lie down.

"I'm all right," he said, annoyed at their mother-henning. He couldn't stop the relieved sigh that escaped his lips when the pain in his side lessened, though, as Safti picked up where he'd left off. 

"Ooooh!"

Frank opened his eyes when he heard the amazed voices, realizing that it signified that Safti had finished. He tried to lift his arm, so he could see it, but Safti was still holding it, gently wiping blood away. He let go, and Frank was able to see the finished product now. 

The tattoo showed a pyramid with a circle through it, going through the points of the triangle. Inside the tip of the pyramid was a sun and moon; the moon superimposed over the right side of the sun. Ardeth had suggested it, saying that the symbols of night and day represented the cycle of life; the different generations of grandfather and grandson. Underneath it was the mark that was on the Med-jai's cheeks. It was beautifully done; he was amazed at Safti's handiwork.

"It looks great," he said, smiling at Safti, who grinned back. 

"Yes," said Ardeth, coming closer to see it better. "Safti does good work."

Frank's team came close, to study it.

"Excellent job," Monica commented.

"It looks cool!" Cody exclaimed. 

"I almost got a tattoo when I was younger," Jake told them. "But I chickened out."

"Chickened out?" Alex Cross said, her eyebrows flying up. "Jake Shaw _chickened_ _out_?!"

"Yeah, first time for everything," Jake replied, with a smirk.

For all of you wondering what the 'information' was that I alluded to in chap 1 that Dreamscape helped me out with, it was about how a tattoo is done. (No she doesn't have one, she did some asking for me, lol) Just a few chapters left! Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks! :) 


	17. The Solution?

_"Frank! Look out!"_

_Frank turned to see a car flying down the street; a man hanging out the window, pointing a gun. Before he even had a chance to hear it fire, he was lying on the ground, bleeding everywhere. He felt something sitting on his chest, and he picked it up. An amulet, covered in blood. Suddenly he saw a bright flash, and everything turned black._

Frank jumped, startled out of the dream. _That's it!_ he thought. _My blood was what made the amulet take us here…maybe it'll be what brings us back. _Sitting up, he was surprised to find himself alone; even Ardeth was missing from his spot. _He shouldn't be up and around yet, _Frank thought to himself. _Well, if he can, then I can. _Leaning on his right elbow—his left arm still pretty useless, in its sling—he slowly stood up, and saw that there was a bandage covering the tattoo on his wrist. Carefully taking it off, he studied the tattoo again. Safti really did do an excellent job of it, and Frank felt proud, to have it. He flexed his wrist, and winced at the pain it caused. He replaced the bandage, and limped out of the tent.

He stopped just outside it, and looked around for anyone that he knew. Suddenly he heard feminine laughter; sounding strangely like Monica and Alex. Limping in the direction it came from, he was surprised when he came upon the two of them standing in a circle of people, of which contained in the middle Safti and Jake, sparring. He frowned at first, at the sight of the huge Safti and much smaller Jake. As he watched, he saw that Safti was holding himself back from the possibility of hurting Jake, and they seemed to be enjoying the exercise. __

Frank looked around to see that his team members hadn't noticed him, as they were too busy cheering Jake on. He saw that Ardeth was sitting under a lean-to that his warriors had obviously put up for him. 

Frank caught Ardeth's eye, and he motioned for Frank to join him. He limped over, grateful to feel the 'cooler' air under the shelter, now that the sun wasn't beating down on him. 

"You look better," Frank said to him, as he carefully sat down.

"But you do not," Ardeth said, frowning in concern.

Frank sighed. "This may be hard for you to understand, but I have no spleen in my body…"

Ardeth looked alarmed. "What?"

"It's a small organ near where I was shot—"

"I know what it is," Ardeth said. "Why do you not have one?"

"I was stabbed, on a case 6 months ago**4**," Frank told him. "It damaged my spleen, and they had to remove it. People can live without one."

Ardeth looked distressed at his words. It was amazing, to both of them, how fast they had grown close, how easily they had accepted the strange situation of them being grandfather and grandson…and thinking of the other as such, even though they appeared to be around the same age.

"So anyway, I don't heal very fast," Frank continued, with a one-shouldered shrug. "It's annoying."

Ardeth nodded. "I would agree."

Suddenly they both looked up when they heard frantic running. It was Alex, and she looked towards them and sighed in relief. She shook her head as she walked over. 

"Frank! I went to check on you and you were gone." 

"Sorry, Alex."

Suddenly they heard the group of spectators laughing, and looked up. The crowd had parted in front of the lean-to so that Ardeth could watch, and they saw Jake holding Safti in a headlock, the both of them laughing, knowing that Jake could probably never attain such an act without getting his body snapped in two by the huge Med-jai. 

Frank suddenly remembered what he'd wanted to tell Ardeth. "I think I may know how to get back to my time."

Ardeth looked at him. "How?"

"My blood was what made your amulet send us here. Maybe my blood is what'll send us back."

Ardeth nodded slowly. "That does make sense. I think perhaps you are right."

"There's only one way to find out," said Frank. 

********************

A short while later, they were all assembled again in the tent, everyone confident that Frank's theory would work; it had the first time, why not now? The problem was that they were all reluctant to say goodbye.

"Can't we stay a little longer, boss?" Cody asked.

Everyone smiled at that, trying to lighten the mood. They all shook hands with each other, and Cody asked Suhaylah if he could hold little Na'im, in an attempt to buy more time.

Frank and Ardeth didn't know what to say to each other. 

"If someone told me," Frank said. "When I went to the museum that day, that I would end up back in time to save the life of the grandfather that I never knew, I would've thought them insane."

Ardeth smiled, and nodded. "When you return to your time, you will remember many new memories of me, I hope."

Frank smiled, realizing the truth in the statement. With Ardeth now alive, Frank would have grown up with Ardeth as his grandfather. 

In an unexpected display of emotion, Ardeth suddenly hugged Frank…his grandson. 

Frank was slightly surprised, and concerned for Ardeth's chest wound, hoping he wasn't hurting him as he hugged his grandfather back with his one good arm. Ardeth's grip was tight and loose at the same time, and Frank knew it was because of Ardeth's concern for _his_ wounds. 

When they finally broke the hug, they knew from the quiet that everyone had watched. 

Frank looked at his team, to see Alex and Monica both studying their nails, and Jake looking around nonchalantly. Cody was making faces at little Na'im, and Frank knew they were trying not to embarrass him. 

Alex O'Connell, on the other hand, was staring right at them, a big smile on his face. 

Frank looked at the dagger that Ardeth was holding, and took it. He was suddenly struck with a humorous thought. 

"Spilling a lot of blood on this case, huh boss," said Jake, stating what Frank was thinking.

Frank smiled, as everyone chuckled. "Where can I afford to spill more?" Frank said, looking at his left arm in the sling, the bandage on the wrist of the hand he was holding the dagger with, and not having to see the bandages on his shoulder, side, and leg to know that they were there too.

That statement got another chuckle out of everyone, and Frank positioned the dagger and sliced his left palm. He kept his face stoic as he did it; compared to his gunshot wounds and fresh tattoo, _that_ was the thing that hurt the least. 

Frank started to hand the dagger back to Ardeth, but he shook his head, handing Frank the sheath. "Keep it."

Frank smiled, and took it. "Shukran."

Ardeth smiled back. "Afwan."

Frank put it in the sheath and stuck it in the pocket of his jacket, having changed back into his 2002 clothes, as had the rest of them. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the amulet, and squeezed the drops of blood onto it. 

Everyone unconsciously braced themselves for what would happen next, but they weren't prepared for what did.

**4 **'Caught in the Middle' by Deana: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601

OH MY GOSH I can't believe I did that to my wonderful, faithful readers! LOLOL! How rotten of me! *Hides* Stay tuned, lol! ;) 


	18. 'Age Ain't Nuttin' but a Number...' LOL ...

Nothing. Nothing happened. They were still in the tent, and it was still 1934.

The team looked at each other in shock, and then at Frank and Ardeth, having been sure that it was going to work.

"I don't understand," Frank said, shaking his head. "My blood is what made it send us here!"

They were all quiet for a minute, thinking, at a loss. They were surprised when Ardeth suddenly took another dagger from his waist, and drew it across his own palm. "That was before our souls were made as one."

Understanding, Frank held the amulet out towards Ardeth, from where it hung around his neck. Ardeth squeezed his own blood onto it, and suddenly…..

Frank swayed dizzily on his feet, as his vision swam madly. He felt hands on him, felt himself being pulled somewhere. When he could see again, he found that he was leaning against a building—

—on a very familiar looking sidewalk.

Everyone was looking at him and their surroundings, with happy expressions on their faces.

"Frank!" Alex exclaimed. "It worked! We're home! Are you all right?"

Frank nodded, feeling dazed. He looked down at his hand to see it still bleeding, and he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, and stuck it into his palm. 

"I can't believe it…we're home, we're home…" Cody mumbled, repeatedly.

"Yeah, and our first stop is gonna be the hospital," Jake said, throwing a concerned look at Frank. 

Frank shook his head. "It doesn't need stitches, Jake…"

"I'm talking about your gunshot wounds," Jake said. "Not just your hand. Now you can get the _real_ treatment you need."

"And tell them what?" Frank countered. "That I was shot on this sidewalk, and the people who took the bullets out and sewed me up were from the year 1934?"

Jake blinked at that.

"He has a point, Jake," said Monica, with a smile.

"I can't believe it…" Cody kept mumbling. "I can't believe…" he stopped, looking at Frank with a frown. "Uh, boss…where did your gray hair go?"

Frank frowned, bringing his hand up to feel his temple, where he had grown a small amount of gray hair early, on both sides. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "You mean it isn't there?"

"Barely," Cody answered. 

"Is he right?" Frank asked the rest of them.

Everyone nodded, looking puzzled. 

Suddenly Monica gasped. "Frank! How old are you?" she asked.

"Thirty…one?" Frank said, his jaw nearly dropping. "I was 34 before this all happened!" He shook his head, as contradicting memories started to flood his mind.

"You're younger then me!" Jake exclaimed.

"Me too!" said Cody, in shock. "Jake! We're older then our boss!" 

"We _all_ are, you dope!" said Alex, looking utterly shocked.

Cody looked at Frank again. "How did you know suddenly, that you're 31 instead of 34?"

Frank shook his head. "I don't know…the fact was just there, in my mind."

"You're starting to have the memories you should have in this timeline," Monica told him, her voice full of wonder.

"But how did this happen?" Cody asked, incredulous.

"Remember, Alanur had been born before Ardeth had died originally," said Jake. "But something happened to mess that up, and that's why we were sent there; not only to prevent Ardeth's death, but to ensure Frank's birth. Now, in this timeline, Alanur was born later, and so were you!"

They all just stood there for a minute, astounded at the bizarre events. Suddenly Frank felt for the amulet around his neck, to find that it was no longer there.

The others noticed. 

"What sense does that make?" said Monica. "It was on you before we left 1934."

Frank had no idea, and shook his head, disappointed.

"Well, we can't just stand around here all day," Alex said. "Let's get you home, Frank."

They made their way back to Frank's Volvo, and Alex was delighted when he handed her his car keys. As they all got in, Frank suddenly realized something.

"Where's Alex?" he said.

"I'm right here," she said, looking at him oddly.

He shook his head. "I mean Alex O'Connell."

Everyone gasped, and piled out of the car again, looking around for him. Suddenly, in front of them, a minivan went through a red light, prompting a pickup truck on the other side to beep his horn at it, as the driver jammed on his brakes to avoid hitting him.

"Whoa!" Cody yelled. "Déjà vu!"

"That's it!" said Monica. "That happened on our way into the museum that day. The amulet returned us to where we'd been before the situation happened, because now, it doesn't _need_ to happen!"

"So it returned O'Connell to the inside of the museum, where he'd been before he saw Frank?" Jake asked.

"Wait a minute," said Cody. "Since he doesn't have to find Frank now, then wouldn't he be in England or whatever, since he wouldn't've had to come to Chicago?"

"Not if the amulet brought him back to where he'd been before," said Frank. "Let's find out."

"Look!" said Alex. "There he is!"

They all looked to where she pointed to see Alex O'Connell walk out of the museum.

Before any of them had a chance to yell to him, he saw them and quickly came over. When he reached them, he immediately grabbed Frank's good arm, happily. "We did it!"

Frank smiled, and nodded his head as O'Connell shook his hand vigorously. New memories were popping into Frank's mind, memories he knew sprouted from this 'new' timeline.

"I can't believe it… after all these years, it worked!" O'Connell shook his head, and smiled again. Suddenly he let loose with a huge yawn, all the activity catching up to his old body.

"Are you staying at a hotel?" Frank asked him.

Alex nodded. "Yeah…uh, no." 

The team frowned at the two of them, as they looked at each other, puzzled.

"I _was_ at a hotel, before the amulet situation," Alex said, shaking his head with a smile. "But now…"

"He's been staying at my place," Frank said, to his team. "We've known each other since I was a kid."

"Whoa, this is getting to be too weird…" said Cody, looking spooked. 

"We'll talk about it later," said Jake. "Right now we gotta get two exhausted people home."

They're back in Chicago! Yay! No, that wasn't the end of the story, lol! ;) 


	19. Memories on the Wall

The ride to Frank's apartment wasn't as quiet as he hoped it would be; Alex O'Connell telling everyone funny stories of Frank's childhood. They laughed the whole trip, slightly annoying Frank, who couldn't wait to get home, take a shower, and collapse into his nice soft bed. It seemed forever till they got there, but finally, they did. 

Frank sighed with relief when he stepped into his apartment, and was glad to find that it still looked exactly the same. Jake and Alex brought him into his bedroom, and helped him lie down on the bed.

Frank inwardly sighed happily, at the bed's softness. It sure beat hard desert sand! 

"Hey, Frank! You've got pics of everyone!"

Frank opened his eyes to see Cody looking at pictures that were hanging on the wall. He frowned, never having seen them before. "Bring them over here," he said.

Cody and Jake took them down and brought them over, as Frank sat up.

Alex sat on the side of the bed and picked up one of them. "Look at this! It's Ardeth and you as a kid!"

Frank took it, and looked at it in surprise. Ardeth was sitting on his horse, and Frank was sitting in front of him, looking only about five years old. Frank shook his head in amazement at how young Ardeth still looked.

"Your mother?" Jake asked, handing him another. 

Frank nodded. This one showed Alanur with Frank as a baby. She was smiling ear to ear, her long, curly dark hair flying in the wind. Frank couldn't help but smile.

"Check this one out," said Cody. "It's the whole gang!"

It was, indeed. Ardeth, Alanur, and Frank—looking to be around 20—were in the middle, surrounded by Evy, Rick, and Alex O'Connell, as well as Safti and Suhaylah, and with them two people who Frank knew to be Na'im and his sister Adeena. He shook his head with a laugh to see that they'd named their daughter yet another word for 'soft'. Frank was surprised to see the woman beside Ardeth—his grandmother, Alaya. 

"Do you remember any of this?" Monica asked Frank, as she wrapped his hand with gauze she'd gotten out of his bathroom.

Frank nodded his head slowly. "The more I think, the more I remember." He couldn't stop staring at the last picture. For the second time in an hour, he asked, "Where's Alex?"

"He fell asleep on the couch in your livingroom," said Alex. "He's not as young as we are." She gave Frank an amused look. "As _you_ are."

Frank nodded with a smile, still staring at the pictures. 

"O'Connell has the right idea," said Jake. "You should get some sleep too."

"Yeah," Frank said, lying down again. Suddenly, he smiled.

"What?" Monica asked, as she finished fixing up his hand. It was almost amusing to see his left arm in a sling, and a bandage around his right hand. She wondered how he would get around for the next few days. Knowing her and Alex, they'd be over constantly to mother-hen. 

"He's still alive," Frank said, carefully taking the dagger Ardeth had given him out of his pocket, and looking at its beautiful hilt before putting it down beside him on the bed.

"Who is?" Jake asked.

"My grandfather…Ardeth. He's 100 years old, but he's still alive. So is Safti."

"You're kidding!" Cody exclaimed. "They're both 100 years old, literally?"

Frank nodded. "Anyone for a trip to Egypt?" he asked, eyes closing sleepily. Before anyone could answer, he fell asleep. 

The team just looked at each other, still in some shock over the whole situation. 

"I can't believe they're both still alive!" Alex whispered.

"That's awesome, but there's still something I don't understand," said Cody.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Who shot Frank?"

They all looked at each other for a minute.

"O'Connell told us that the men after Ardeth were the followers of someone named Lock-nah," said Jake. "Maybe in the original history, they'd found out what O'Connell knew, and passed down to their descendants the mission of trying to prevent Frank from going back and saving Ardeth's life."

"That makes sense," said Monica. "The reason the attack came right after Frank was given the amulet, is because the men had followed Alex here and didn't know who they had to kill, until he gave it to Frank." Suddenly the look on her face changed. "Guys, look."

Everyone looked to where Monica was staring, to see her pick up the amulet from Frank's night table.

"How the heck did it get there?" Cody asked. "Man, things just keep getting weirder!" 

Jake took the amulet from Monica, and shook his head. "We'll never be able to understand everything that happened." 

"You can say _that_ agin," Alex agreed. "Shh, we're too loud. Let's split, so Frank can get some rest." 

They all nodded, and filed out the door. Jake stopped when Alex took the amulet from him, and watched as she gently placed it around Frank's neck. 

**THE END**

WOO HOO! So glad everyone liked the story! Who knows, a sequel may pop up ;) You want to see Frank's tattoo? I had to upload it to my UC website as a webpage, because there was no way to upload it to ff.net. This is the link: http://www.geocities.com/deanadannosgirluc/FranksTattoo.html

Just copy and paste it into your url bar. Let me know how you like it! :) 

Karri is the one who found the word, 'Adeena', and I couldn't help but flip when I saw how much it sounds like my own name! (Drop the 'A' at the beginning, and what's left is my name, LOL!) When I made up the name 'Safti' I never knew that it would turn into such a cool joke, with the whole 'Softy' thing! LOL! Thanks for reading, everyone! :)


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